Somatostatin-like immunoreactive primary sensory neurons supplying the porcine adrenal glands in physiological conditions and after adrenalectomy

Abstract

Retrograde neuronal tracing, using fast blue, in combination with a single-labelling immunofluorescence technique, was applied to determine whether somatostatin (SOM) participates in sensory innervating of the porcine adrenal glands in physiological conditions and after adrenalectomy. In control animals, SOM-like immunoreactive neurons comprised 7.0 ± 0.7% of adrenal gland-projecting cells in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at neuromeres Th6-7 and 6.5 ± 1.2% at neuromeres Th12-14. After adrenalectomy the percentage of SOM-positive DRG cells considerably increased and attained the level of 44.7 ± 2.5% at neuromeres Th6-7 and 36.6 ± 1.7% at neuromeres Th12-14. The obtained results demonstrate that SOM is not only a neuromediator within sensory neurones supplying the porcine adrenal glands, but also suggest the role of this substance during repairing processes within the nervous system after adrenalectomy.

Changes in Somatostatin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Sympathetic Neurons Projecting to the Prepyloric Area of the Porcine Stomach Induced by Selected Pathological Conditions

“…On the other hand, neuronal transection following partial stomach resection also triggered significant changes in SOM-LI immunoreactivity, which is in agreement with previous findings on the influence of axotomy on an increase in SOM expression [ 31 ]. In contrast, other authors reported decreased expression of SOM after neuronal injury [ 34 ].…”

“…An increase in the population of SOM-LI neurons in animals of the ASA group correlates well with the fact that somatostatin exerts antinociceptive/analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects during inflammatory processes [ 14 , 31 ], including GI inflammatory pathologies [ 13 ]. Recent evidence demonstrates significant changes in SOM expression in idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases [ 16 ], Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis [ 17 ], chemically induces colitis [ 29 ], proliferative enteropathy, and chemically driven inflammation of porcine descending colon [ 15 ].…”