Neuronal expression of Fos protein in the brain after intravenous injection of gastrin in rats.
The present study examined whether the central neurons are involved in the stimulatory action of gastrin on the secretion of gastric acid. Gastrin (20 microg), which was examined and ascertained to induce a marked increase in gastric acid secretion in gastric-lumen perfused rats, was intravenously injected in Wistar rats under anesthesia with pentobarbital sodium. In the experiments, 1 h after injecting gastrin, rats were perfused and fixed, the brain was removed and sectioned at 40 microm thickness. Every fourth section was treated with anti-c-Fos antiserum, and c-Fos protein was immunohistochemically stained using the avidin-biotin complex method. It was found that c-Fos protein was expressed in neurons of the lateral habenular nucleus, the central nucleus amygdala, the lateral parabrachial nucleus in the pons, and the complex area of the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve in the medulla oblongata. The control rats were injected with saline solution, and the brain sections were processed similarly as described above. c-Fos protein was expressed in few neurons in the nuclei above in the control rats. These results suggest that gastrin released into the circulation might stimulate central neurons which, in turn, may relate to the control mechanism for the secretion of gastric acid.
Yakabi
Koji
K
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 3426-3 Anegasaki, Ichihara, Chiba 299-0111, Japan.
Iwabuchi
Hitoshi
H
Nakamura
Takashi
T
Endo
Keiko
K
Fukunaga
Yoshie
Y
Kumaki
Iku
I
Takayama
Kiyoshige
K
D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000502:physiology; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D005755:Gastrins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016762:Genes, fos; D019262:Habenula / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011149:Pons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology
D005755:Gastrins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D002766:Cholecystokinin