Cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord of the rat: a light and electron microscopic study

Cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity was investigated with an indirect immunoperoxidase technique in the whole spinal cord with the light microscope and in the dorsal horn with the electron microscope. Intraparenchymal injections of colchicine were performed to allow the detection of cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive cell bodies. Rats treated at birth with capsaicin were also studied at the light microscope. Numerous cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive fibres and varicosities were found in the two superficial layers of the dorsal horn and in the intermedio-medial nucleus; cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive cell bodies were also present in these two regions. After neonatal capsaicin treatment, the number of cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive fibres and varicosities was strongly reduced in the dorsal horn. At the electron microscope level, cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity was localized in numerous neurites often filled with vesicles (axon terminals and dendrites containing vesicles) and in few cell bodies and dendrites. The immunoreaction was found mainly associated with ribosomes, granular reticulum, neurotubules and vesicles. Large granular vesicles were filled with the reaction product whereas small and medium-sized vesicles showed a varying degree of immunoprecipitate around their membrane. In addition dense "granules" of precipitate were observed in numerous presynaptic neurites. Cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive axons were of small calibre and mostly unmyelinated. Cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive axon terminals made asymmetric synaptic contacts with generally unlabelled dendrites or dendritic spines. A single labelled nerve terminal could contact several different dendrites in structures resembling glomeruli. Few axo-somatic synapses but a relatively high number of axo-axonic contacts were seen. About half of these axo-axonic contacts involved pre- and postsynaptic profiles. Both light and electron microscopic observations led us to the conclusion that some of the cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive fibres of the dorsal horn originate in the spinal ganglia via capsaicin-sensitive C afferents; and some from intrinsic neurons, particularly islet cells. Other fibres may come from supraspinal centres, other local neurons or capsaicin-insensitive afferents from the spinal ganglia. The results are discussed with regard to data in the literature, particularly those concerned with the specificity of the cholecystokinin antibodies; it is hypothesized that several types of cholecystokinin-like immunoreactive peptides may be present in the dorsal horn, depending on their origin (supraspinal, intrinsic or peripheral).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)