Preganglionic vagus nerve fibers also enter the greater curvature of the stomach in rats and ferrets

Abstract

The efferent gastric vagus nerve fibers appear to enter the stomach by several routes. For example, the rate of gastric acid secretion is directly affected by the nerves of the greater curvature of the stomach. Specifically, acid secretion decreases abruptly after division of the gastroepiploic nerve(s). To determine whether efferent vagus nerve fibers are contained in the gastroepiploic nerve(s), horseradish peroxidase, a protein that undergoes retrograde axonal transport, was applied to these nerves; the brainstem locus of the nuclei of the vagus nerves was examined 2 days later. Typical peroxidase labeling was observed in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve in 5 of 6 rats and 3 of 3 ferrets; the hypothesis that efferent vagus nerves enter the greater curvature of the stomach was thus supported in two vertebrate species. These previously unrecognized nerves should be considered in the interpretation of experimental and clinical phenomena.