Innervation of tracheal epithelium and smooth muscle by neurons in airway ganglia

The neurochemical profiles of neurons in ferret tracheal ganglia has been characterized, but their projections to smooth muscle and epithelium in ferret trachea has not been examined. The purpose of this study is to determine the location of cell bodies that project VIP-, SP-, and NPY-containing fibers to the ferret tracheal smooth muscle and epithelium. Segments of ferret trachea were cultured for 0, 1, 3, or 7 days, some in the presence of 3 mu m capsaicin. VIP, SP, or NPY nerve fiber density was measured using morphometric procedures. A retrograde tracer, rhodamine-labeled microspheres, identified neurons projecting to the epithelium. The density of SP fibers in the epithelium was reduced after culture, but VIP innervation was not different. In tracheal smooth muscle, the density of VIP and SP-IR fibers was not different during the culture period, but NPY fiber density was reduced at all culture times. Capsaicin treatment did not affect nerve fiber density in the tracheal smooth muscle but produced a significant reduction in the density of epithelial VIP- and SP-IR nerve fibers after 1 day. Rhodamine-labeled microspheres were identified in VIP-containing nerve cell bodies of the ferret tracheal plexus. VIP innervation to the airway epithelium in ferret originates both from cell bodies in airway ganglia and cell bodies in sensory ganglia. The pathway from airway ganglia suggest the existence of a local reflex mechanisms initiated by epithelial irritation. Anat Rec 254:166-172, 1999. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.