ABSTRACT
The innervation of the respiratory system is one of the many control systems involved in modulating lung function. Using the quantitation techniques, it is possible to evaluate the potential functional role and importance of neuropeptides in the airways. The amount of various neuropeptides and the localization of nerves containing them may be determined. The main neuropeptides found in the respiratory tract of humans and animals include neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide , the neurokinins, and calcitonin gene-related peptide. NPY-containing nerves in the respiratory tract are found closely associated with blood vessels and airway smooth muscle. The increasing use of confocal microscopy will permit better visualization, and thus quantification, or nerves and allow measurements to be made in three dimensions, thereby giving a more accurate picture of events that occur in vivo and how they are modified in disease.
