Innervation of Neuroepithelial Bodies in Bronchiolar Epithelium of Human Fetal Lung

인태아 폐의 신경상피소체와 신경종말에 관한 미세구조적 연구

Ultrastructure of nerves and their associated cells in the bronchiolar epithelium of the human fetal lung were studied with ultrastructural and immunohistochemical methods. The neuroendocrine cells were scattered along the basal part of non-ciliated respiratory epithelium and appeared as single cell (solitary neuroendocrine cell) or groups (neuroepithelial bodies). The solitary neuroendocrine cells were devoid of any detectable innervation, while the neuroepithelial bodies were associated with nerve ending containing morphologically afferent (sensory) and efferent (motor) intraepithelial terminals. The afferent nerve endings contained abundant mitochondria with long cristae. The efferent nerve endings were characterized by the presence of synaptic vesicles. Both types of nerve endings formed synaptic junction between nerve endings and neuroepithelial bodies cells. Serial sections of the intraepithelial nerves revealed that both morphologically afferent and efferent types of nerve endings may be formed by the same nerve fiber. By immunohistochemistry, bombesin and serotonin were localized in solitary neuroendocrine cells and neuroepithelial bodies of human fetal lung from various prenatal age groups. These results suggest that the neuroepithelial bodies cells of the human fetal lung have neuroreceptor function.