脑膜瘤内的肽能神经支配

Peptidergic nerve innervation in human meningioma

Whether innervation existed in tumors have been provoking scientists' great interests. Using immunohis-tochemical methods, we found a substantial amount of galanin (GAL)- , substance P (SP)- and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP ) - immunoreactive (ir) nerve fibers in human meningioma. Four types of GAL" and SP- nerve fibers: thick, intermediate, thin and varicose were demonstrated. And only two types were seen in CGRP-ir nerve fibers, the intermediate and the thin. Different densities and shapes of varicosilies were observed in three kinds of peptidergic nerve fibers. GAL-. SP - and CGRP-ir nerve fibers were located mainly near the base and often deficient in the tumor's center. In small meningioma (less than 1.5 g), three kinds of peptidergic nerve fibers were distributed in more than 2,/3 area of the meningioma. The ratio of the distribution area of peptidergic nerve fibers to the meningioma and the density of peptidergic nerve fibers decreased with the increasing size of the meningioma. A large part of GAL-, SP - and CGRP-ir nerve fibers wound their way among the tumor cells or entered the nest of tumor cells. A little part of the peptidergic nerve fibers passed through the connective tissue among the nest of the tumor cells. A direct contact between the peptidergic nerve fibers and tumor cells was seen under Nomarski differential interference contrast microscope.