Innervation of the feline cerebral vasculature by nerve fibers containing calcitonin gene-related peptide: trigeminal origin and co-existence with substance P.

The presence of a population of nerve fibers containing immunoreactive calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been demonstrated around cerebral arteries of the cat with immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay. CGRP immunoreactivity in the feline cerebral vasculature, as characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography, is similar to authentic rat CGRP. Numerous perikarya containing CGRP are present in the trigeminal ganglia, and surgical lesions of the trigeminal ganglia significantly reduce the levels of CGRP in the cerebral vasculature, suggesting that this cranial nerve is the principal origin of these cerebrovascular nerve fibers. As demonstrated by sequential immunocytochemistry, CGRP coexists with substance P both in the trigeminal ganglion and nerve fibers around cerebral blood vessels. The presence of CGRP in the cerebrovascular trigeminal innervation provides further versatility and complexity for this sensory afferent system putatively involved in the transmission of intracranial pain.