Comparative studies of quinacrine-positive neurones in the myenteric plexus of stomach and intestine of guinea-pig, rabbit and rat.

The number of quinacrine-fluorescent nerve cell bodies and the percentage of the ganglion area occupied by this fluorescence within stretch preparations of the myenteric plexus of the stomach and ileum of the guinea-pig, rabbit and rat were assessed. The number of quinacrine-positive cell bodies per cm2 of plexus varied between 1045 in the rabbit ileum to 2633 in the rat stomach, whilst the percentage of the ganglionic area occupied by fluorescence was approximately 10%. The distribution of quinacrine-fluorescent nerve fibres and cell bodies in the myenteric plexus was compared to the distribution of nerves revealed by catecholamine fluorescence and by staining for acetylcholinesterase in the stomach and ileum of all three species. Quinacrine fluorescence appears to be selective for non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerves; the possibility that it binds to high levels of ATP is discussed.