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Tyrosine hydroxylase, neuropeptide Y, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and vasoactive intestinal peptide in nerves of rat periovarian adipose tissue: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural investigation

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Journal of Neurocytology

Summary

Rat periovarian adipose tissue contains unilocular adipocytes and some multilocular adipocytes that, following acclimation to cold, become more numerous and give rise to periovarian brown fat areas. We studied the occurrence and distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase, neuropeptide Y, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, methionine enkephalin, neurotensin, galanin, and cholecystokinin 9–20 in the nerves of rat periovarian tissue maintained at 20° C (control rats), acclimated at 4° C (cold-acclimated rats) and at 28° C (warm-acclimated rats). In the periovarian tissue of control and warm-acclimated rats, tyrosine hydroxylase-like, neuropeptide Y-like, substance P-like and calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactive elements (putative nerves) were present in the blood vessels. In the periovarian tissue of cold-acclimated rats, we found: (1) a more widespread vascular distribution of these neuropeptides; (2) tyrosine hydroxylase-like and calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactive elements among paucilocular and multilocular adipocytes (parenchymal-like nerves); (3) vasoactive intestinal peptide-like immunoreactive elements in some arteries. Investigation by EM showed the presence of heterogeneous non-myelinated axons both associated with capillaries and among paucilocular and multilocular adipocytes (parenchymal fibres) in periovarian brown fat areas. In conclusion, periovarian brown fat contains the same neuropeptides, with the same vascular and parenchymal distribution, already seen in typical depots of brown fat.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ancona, Italy

    Antonio Giordano, Giovanni Santone & Gian Franco Marchesi

  2. Institute of Normal Human Morphology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ancona, Italy

    Manrico Morroni & Saverio Cinti

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  1. Antonio Giordano
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  2. Manrico Morroni
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  3. Giovanni Santone
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  4. Gian Franco Marchesi
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  5. Saverio Cinti
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Giordano, A., Morroni, M., Santone, G. et al. Tyrosine hydroxylase, neuropeptide Y, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and vasoactive intestinal peptide in nerves of rat periovarian adipose tissue: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural investigation. J Neurocytol 25, 125–136 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02284791

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02284791

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