Open Access

ARTICLE

Distribution of NADPH-diaphorase in rat mesencephalon: A light and electron microscopical study

JUAN J. LÓPEZ-COSTA, CAROLINA ACUIPIL, PATRICIA TAGLIAFERRO, SAMEER PATEL, JAVIER RAMOS, ALICIA BRUSCO, JORGE PECCI SAAVEDRA*

Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. E. De Robertis", Fac. Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA.
* Prof. Dr. Jorge Pecci Saavedra died on September 11^th, 2001

Corresponding Author: Juan José López-Costa, Tel.: (+54-11) 5950 9626 int. 22; E-mail:

BIOCELL 2002, 26(2), 247-252. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2002.26.247

Abstract

NADPH-diaphorase is a useful technique to reveal NO producing neurons at light microscopic level (LM). A modification of the technique using the tetrazolium salt BSPT as susbtrate, is useful to study the ultrastructure of NO neurons. The aim of this work was to perform a detailed analysis of NADPH diaphorase reactive neurons in rat mesencephalon both at light and electron microscopic levels.
NADPH-diaphorase reactive neurons were observed in superior colliculus, in central gray matter, in dorsal and medial raphe and in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus using two histochemical techniques at LM. Electron microscopy showed deposits on membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and nuclear envelope of dorsal raphe neurons. Presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals showed deposits on membranous elements but postsynaptic terminals also showed deposits on the inner surface of their membranes.
Further physiological studies are needed to clarify the meaning of the ultrastructural findings such as the putative interaction of NOS with postsynaptic proteins, receptors or membranous channels.

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