Summary
The distributions of peptide-containing nerves in the urinary bladder of the toad, Bufo marinus, were studied by means of fluorescence immunohistochemistry of whole-mount preparations. The bundles of smooth muscle in the bladder are well supplied by varicose nerve fibres displaying somatostatin-like immunoreactivity; these fibres probably arise from intrinsic perikarya. The urinary bladder also has a well-developed plexus of nerves containing substance P-like immunoreactive material; these elements probably represent sensory nerves of extrinsic origin. Nerve fibres showing immunoreactivity to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) or enkephalin are rare within the urinary bladder of the toad. It is considered unlikely that any of these peptides directly mediates the hyoscine-resistant excitatory response of the smooth muscle to nerve stimulation in the toad bladder.
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Acknowledgements. I would like to thank Drs. M. Costa and J.B.Furness for the provision of characterised antisera and the use of laboratory facilities. I would also like to thank Professor G. Campbell and Dr.J.L. Morris for critical comments of the manuscript. This work was supported by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
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Gibbins, I.L. Peptide-containing nerves in the urinary bladder of the toad, Bufo marinus . Cell Tissue Res. 229, 137–144 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217886
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217886