Distribution and Content of Neuropeptide Y in the Human Lower Esophageal Sphincter

Abstract

The occurrence and distribution of neuropeptide Y (NPY) was studied in smooth-muscle specimens from the human lower esophageal sphincter region by immunocytochemistry and immunochemistry. Normal individuals and patients suffering from achalasia or hiatus hernia with severe gastroesophageal reflux were examined. NPY fibers were found within and around smooth-muscle bundles of the longitudinal and the circular muscle layers and within the myenteric ganglia. Smooth-muscle specimens from patients with hiatus hernia and gastroesophageal reflux displayed numerous NPY fibers and an increased content of NPY. Specimens from patients with achalasia contained only few NPY fibers and had a decreased content of NPY as compared to specimens from control patients. Conceivably, NPY may play a role in the regulation of the lower esophageal sphincter.

Increased Tissue Concentration of Neuropeptide Y in the Duodenal Mucosa in Coeliac Disease

“…Conversely, decreased immunoreactive NPY levels have been reported in human lower oesophageal sphincters obtained from patients with achalasia. In these patients there is a loss of nerve cell bodies in the myenteric plexus (24). It remains a matter of speculation whether the increased NPY levels in the coeliac mucosa have any functional significance.…”