Distribution of Substance P Immunoreactive Neurons and Their Synaptic Organization in the Cat Thoracic Cord

고양이 흉수에서 Substance P 면역반응 신경원의 분포와 연접연구

Background: Though a number of studies have described the distribution of substance P(SP)-like immunoreactivity in the spinal cord, they have been focused on lamina I and II of the dorsal horn and there are little morphological studies on the topographic distribution and ultrastructure of the SP immunoreactive neurons especially in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. this study was conducted to identify distribution pattern of SP immunoreactive neurons and to difine the synaptic organization of their processes in ventral horn of the thoracic cord of the cat by preembbeding immunocytochemical method using SP antiserum. Methods: Five adults cats of either sex were used and deeply anesthetized by intramuscular injection of ketamine. After removal of the spinal cord, samples of thoracic cord were taken and placed in fresh fixative at $4^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. Transverse sections $50{\mu}m$ thick were processed using the preembbeding immunocytochemical method and incubated consecutively in the specific primary antibody and the 10% normal goat serum, the rabbit anti-substance P antiserum, the biotin-labelled goat anti-rabbit IgG and finally the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex. The processed tissue sections were throughly washed and stained in the black with 1% uranyl acetate. Section were examined on a electron microscope. Results: 1) SP immunoreactive neurons were observed in the gray matter around central canal. 2) In lamina I and II SP immunoreactivity was observed in both myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, but in ventral horn only in the unmyelinated nerve fibers. 3) SP immunoreactive axon terminals with small round and large dense core vesicles made chemical synapses onto the dendrites of motor neurons in the ventral horn. Conclusion: SP immunoreactive neurons might play an important role in modulation of motor neurons in the ventral horn of the thoracic cord of the cat.