Substance P Promotes Peyer’s Patch and Splenic B Cell Differentiation

Abstract

Current interpretations of immune processes tends to exclude nonhematopoietic cells and their representative mediators as possible contributors to the immune response. One such excluded element is the nervous system. To date, there is considerable evidence that the sympathetic¹ and the peptidergic² nervous systems substantiate neural involvement in immune regulation. This is never more evident than the effects exerted by neuropeptides upon mucosal immune responses. One such neuropeptide is substance P (SP). A member of the tachykinin family, SP is an 11 amino acid peptide³, and outside the brain, it is found in greatest concentrations in the gut.³ SP is a product of sensory ganglion cells, and it is transported to peripheral sites where it is stored and released upon noxious stimulation.³ SP-containing fibers have been localized in the Peyer’s patches (PP)⁴ suggesting possible influences upon B cell differentiation.