Localization of the beta(beta)3-adrenoceptor in the human gastrointestinal tract: an immunohistochemical study.

BACKGROUND

Activation of human and non-human colonic beta(beta)3-adrenoceptors causes smooth muscle relaxation. beta3-Adrenoceptor agonists protect against experimental indomethacin-induced jejunal ulceration. The mechanism of protection may involve spasmolytic/vasodilatory agonist activity. The precise localization of beta3-adrenoceptors in the human gut is not known.

AIM: To localize the beta3-adrenoceptor within the human gastrointestinal tract using the immunohistochemical technique.

METHODS

Human beta3-adrenoceptors were immuno-localized in paraffin sections of human oesophagus (OS), stomach (ST), duodenum (DU), ileum (IL), sigmoid colon (SC), rectum (R) and gall-bladder (GB) using the rabbit polyclonal antibody anti-P12. Staining was graded , ++, + and 0. Immunostaining of SC was also done with pre-incubation of anti-P12 with P12 peptide. Western blotting of anti-P12 on human and murine IL and SC isolated membrane proteins was performed.

RESULTS

All epithelia, vascular endothelial cells and ganglia scored 0. Smooth muscle of the vasculature, muscularis propria, muscularis mucosae and mucosa was graded, respectively, as follows; OS ( , , ,-), ST (++, , ++, ++), DU (++, , , +), IL (++, ++, ++, +), SC ( , ++, ++, ++), R (++, ++, +, +), GB ( , , -, 0). Pre-incubation of anti-P12 with P12 peptide almost abolished SC smooth muscle positivity. Western blot analysis using anti-P12 on human, but not murine, IL and SC membrane proteins revealed a single 5 5 kDa band, a size consistent with the predicted size of a partially glycosylated form of the human beta3-adrenoceptor.

CONCLUSIONS

This immunohistochemical study has localized the beta3-adrenoceptor to vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle in the human gastrointestinal tract. These findings support a role for the beta3-adrenoceptor in the control of blood flow and motility in the human gastrointestinal tract.