Subpopulations of primary sensory neurons show coexistence of neuropeptides and glucocorticoid receptors in the rat spinal and trigeminal ganglia

The coexistence of the neuropeptides substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, galanin, somatostatin and neuropeptide Y with glucocorticoid receptors was studied in neurons of the rat lumbar dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia by means of the double immunofluorescence technique. Based on analysis of microphotographs, about one-third of the populations of nerve cells (small and large) containing substance P or calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity (IR) showed nuclear glucocorticoid receptor IR. A similar pattern was observed within the dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia. Furthermore, within the lumbar dorsal root ganglia 50% of the small neurons, containing galanin IR, possessed nuclear glucocorticoid receptor IR of moderate intensity. Glucocorticoid receptor IR was not observed in the galanin immunoreactive neurons of the trigeminal ganglion neither in the somatostatin and NPY immunoreactive neurons of both the dorsal root and the trigeminal ganglia. The results provide a chemical anatomical basis for a direct regulation by glucocorticoids of distinct populations of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive nerve cells in the lumbar spinal and trigeminal ganglia and of galanin immunoreactive nerve cells of the spinal but not of the trigeminal ganglia.