An immunohistochemical study of somatostatin in the stomach and the small intestine of the African ostrich (Struthio camelus).
The aim of the present study was to clarify the distribution and relative frequencies of somatostatin (SST)-producing cells in the stomach and the small intestine of the ostrich by using immunohistochemistry. The results indicated that somatostatin-immunoreactive (SST-IR) cells were distributed in mucosal layers of the proventriculus, duodenum, jejunum and ileum. However, no immunoreactivity was observed in the gizzard. SST-IR cells were found at the lower part of glandular lobule in the proventriculus, which were oval and round generally. SST-IR cells were present in the mucous membrane of entire small intestine of the ostrich. SST-IR cells had round and spherical shapes (closed-type cells), or spindle and pyriform shapes (open-type cells) in the small intestine. SST-positive cells were localized preferentially in the proventriculus of the 60-day-old ostrich. These results indicated that SST might be involved in functional and developmental regulation of gastrointestinal tract of the ostrich.
College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China; Xinyang Agricultural College, Xinyang 464000, Henan, PR China. Electronic address: chenmin8860@163.com.
Min
M
Chen
Min
M
He
Kemei
K
Peng
Tingting
T
Liu
Chunyan
C
Jin
Weiwei
W
Cao
Lei
L
Wang
Ke
K
Xiao
D000818:Animals; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013270:Stomach / Q000166:cytology; D020310:Struthioniformes / Q000378:metabolism*
D013004:Somatostatin
Immunohistochemistry; Ostrich; Small intestine; Somatostatin; Stomach