J. Kewenter

Catecholamine-Containing Nerve Fibres in the Human Abdominal Vagus

The vagal nerve of man has been investigated for the presence of adrenergic nerve fibres using the histochemical fluorescence method of Hillarp and Falck. Following 30-60 min of nerve ligation during surgical operations, the right anterior main trunk (subdiafragmatic level) from one patient, and the anterior nerve of Latarget of 5 patients were found to contain unmyelinated nerve fibres with accumulations of green fluorescent material representing a catecholamine. The observations indicate the presence of adrenergic nerve fibres running caudally in the human vagal nerve, in accordance with similar findings in other mammals, e.g. cats and dogs.

The effects of adrenergic antagonists on the serotonin levels of feline enterochromaffin cells after splanchnic nerve stimulation

Cut splanchnic nerves were stimulated electrically at the preganglionic level in efferent direction in anesthetized cats with the adrenals ligated bilaterally. A significant decrease of the intracellular serotonin (5-HT) levels in populations (n=20) of individual enterochromaffin cells (EC) in the mucosa from three different levels of the small intestine (distal duodenum, mid-jejunum and terminal ileum) was obtained. The intracellular 5-HT levels before and after stimulation were studied cytofluorimetrically in biopsies treated according to the Falck-Hillarp technique. One group of cats was pretreated with propranolol prior to stimulation. This prevented the decrease in fluorescence intensity effectively. Two other groups of cats were pretreated with phenoxybenzamine or phentolamine. These drugs also blocked the expected decrease in fluorescence intensity in 7 of 8 cats. In some biopsies there was an increased fluorescence intensity after nerve stimulation in cats given propranolol or phentolamine even though the drugs themselves had no intrinsic effects on the fluorescence intensity in control animals. It is concluded that efferent electrical stimulation of the splanchnic nerves can cause a release of 5-HT from gut EC by an adrenergic mechanism.

Disseminated rectal carcinoid tumor with production of immunoreactive motilin

This report presents a patient with a rectal carcinoid tumor of small size ( 14 mm in diameter), with typical growth pattern, localized in the mucosa. Despite these microscopically good prognostic features the patient died from metastatic disease 30 months later. The tumor had an unusual hormone profile with main secretion of immunoreactive motilin and serotonin. Immunocytochemically these substances were localized in separate tumor cell populations; the majority of tumor cells were motilin-immunoreactive and a minority were serotonin-immunoreactive. The patient was first treated interventionally by hepatic arterial embolizations and later medically with octreotide. The treatment resulted in long periods of good palliation related to reduced levels of tumor markers and weight gain. The plasma concentrations of motilin were analyzed with a N-terminal-specific assay before and during treatment.

The transmission mechanism of the vagal control of the feline pylorus

Gastric motility and pyloric contractility were studied in laparotomized cats under chloralose anaesthesia by recording the intragastric volume and changes in an applied constant transpyloric flow of body-warm saline. Unilateralefferent electrical stimulation of the cervical vagi resulted in a prompt gastric contraction and a delayed pyloric contraction. In one third of the animals abiphasic pyloric motor response, consisting of a short period of increased flow preceding the longlasting decrease or cessation of the flow was observed. Afteratropine (0.2 mg/kg b.w.) the vagal nerve stimulation resulted in agastric relaxation, while the biphasic pyloric motor response was even more pronounced, with a significantly longer latency of the contractile phase. Addition ofguanethidine (2 mg/kg b.w.) did not affect these motor responses. Afterhexamethonium (25 mg/kg i.v. and 50±10 mg per kg i.a. b.w.) the stimulation procedure still resulted in a slight gastric relaxation, while the pyloric contraction was effectively blocked. However, the relaxatory phase required theaddition of atropine to become antagonized indicating separate transmission mechanisms for the relaxatory and contractile components of the pyloric motor response at efferent vagal stimulation. When the pyloric motor response atafferent cervical vagal nerve stimulation was studied, using similar parameters, amonophasic pyloric contraction was obtained, which in all animals was antagonized by hexamethonium and infrequently by atropine. The results obtained indicate that not only classical cholinergic receptors, but also nonclassical (e.g. peptidergic receptors) are involved in the complex pyloric motor responses at efferent Stimulation. The pyloric contraction obtained at afferent stimulation was, however, possible to block with hexamethonium, indicating a transmission via ganglionic receptors.