Schaffar N, Rao H, Kessler J P, Jean A
Département de Physiologie et Neurophysiologie, CNRS ESA 6034- Case 351, Faculté Saint-Jérôme, Marseille, France.
Brain Res. 1997 Dec 19;778(2):302-8. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)01058-5.
Vagal primary afferent neurons have their cell bodies located in the nodose (inferior) and jugular (superior) vagal ganglia and send terminals into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) which lies in the dorsomedial medulla. The presence of glutamate (Glu)-containing neurons in the rat nodose ganglion was investigated using immunohistochemistry. Glu-immunoreactivity on nodose sections was found in neuronal perikarya and nerve fibers, but not in non-neuronal elements such as Schwann cells and satellite cells. Both immunoreactive and non-immunoreactive ganglion cells were observed. The immunoreactive ganglion cells amounted to about 60% of the nodose population. No specific intraganglionic localization was observed for the non-immunoreactive cells. Immunoreactive perikarya were slightly smaller than the non-immunoreactive ones, but no relationship was found between size and staining intensities of immunoreactive neurons. The present data indicate that immunodetectable Glu is present in a large population of vagal afferent neurons. They therefore add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Glu may be the main neurotransmitter released by vagal afferent terminals within the nucleus tractus solitarii.
迷走神经初级传入神经元的细胞体位于结状（下）和颈静脉（上）迷走神经节，其终末投射至位于延髓背内侧的孤束核（NTS）。本研究采用免疫组织化学方法，对大鼠结状神经节中含谷氨酸（Glu）的神经元进行了研究。在结状神经节切片上，Glu免疫反应性存在于神经元胞体和神经纤维中，而在施万细胞和卫星细胞等非神经元成分中未发现。观察到免疫反应性和非免疫反应性的神经节细胞。免疫反应性神经节细胞约占结状神经节细胞总数的60%。非免疫反应性细胞在神经节内无特定的定位。免疫反应性胞体略小于非免疫反应性胞体，但免疫反应性神经元的大小与染色强度之间无相关性。本研究结果表明，大量迷走神经传入神经元中存在可免疫检测的Glu。因此，这些结果进一步支持了越来越多的证据，表明Glu可能是孤束核内迷走神经传入终末释放的主要神经递质。
