A simultaneous demonstration of particular enteric neuronal cell types with the NADH:nitro BT-dehydrogenase reaction and of nerve fibres containing enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in the myenteric plexus of the porcine small intestine.

The myenteric plexus of the porcine small intestine is studied using a combined method for the simultaneous visualization of enteric intramural neuronal cell bodies and peptidergic nerve fibers. As earlier reported, the histochemical method for demonstration of the NADH-dependent dehydrogenase reaction allows the identification of the three neuron types of Dogiel but, in addition, the afore mentioned staining method creates fair conditions in the tissue for the subsequent indirect immunocytochemical visualization of neuropeptides, as demonstrated in this work by means of the indirect immunofluorescence method for enkephalin-like immunoreactivity. Intense fluorescent varicosities of enkephalin-like nerve fibres were found to ramify around dark-blue stained ganglionic cells of type I, type II and type III in a manner suggestive of innervation.