Development of non-catecholaminergic sympathetic neurons in para- and prevertebral ganglia of cats

Expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the sympathetic ganglia was investigated by immunohistochemistry in the superior cervical ganglion (SCG), stellate ganglion (SG) and celiac ganglion (CG) from cats of different ages (newborn, 10-day-old, 20-day-old, 30-day-old and 2-month-old). Non-catecholaminergic TH-negative VIP-immunoreactive (IR) and nNOS-IR sympathetic ganglionic neurons are present from the moment of birth. In all studied age groups, substantial populations of VIP-IR (up to 9.8%) and nNOS-IR cells (up to 8.3%) was found in the SG, with a much smaller population found in the SCG (<1%) and only few cells observed in the CG. The percentage of nNOS-IR and VIP-IR neurons in the CG and SCG did not significantly change during development. The proportion of nNOS-IR and VIP-IR neuron profiles in the SG increased in first 20 days of life from 2.3 ± 0.15% to 8.3 ± 0.56% and from 0.3 ± 0.05% to 9.2 ± 0.83%, respectively. In the SG, percentages of nNOS-IR sympathetic neurons colocalizing VIP increased in the first 20 days of life. ChAT-IR and CGRP-IR neurons were not observed in the sympathetic ganglia of newborn animals and did not appear until 10 days after birth. In the SG of newborn and 10-day-old kittens, the majority of NOS-IR neurons were calbindin (CB)-IR, whereas in the SCG and CG of cats of all age groups and in the SG of 30-day-old and older kittens, the vast majority of NOS-IR neurons lacked CB. We conclude that the development of various non-catecholaminergic neurons in different sympathetic ganglia has its own time dynamics and is concluded at the end of the second month of life.