title: Sympathetic innervation of the suprasesamoidean region of the deep digital flexor tendon in the forelimbs of horses.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to delineate the pattern of sympathetic innervation in the suprasesamoidean region of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in horses using immunohistochemical staining (IHC) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (α1-AR). Fourteen forelimbs were collected from 10 horses. Longitudinal sections of the suprasesamoidean region of healthy DDFTs were harvested. Most of the sympathetic innervation was found to be in the walls of blood vessels. The tendon tissue proper was sparsely innervated, with a lesser degree of innervation within the dorsal fibrocartilage. Increased α1-AR immunostaining was also detected in walls of blood vessels and in spindle cells of fibrocartilage. Both α1-AR and TH immunostaining were detected in tenocytes. These findings support the presence of autocrine/paracrine catecholaminergic signalling in equine tendon tissue.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy. Electronic address: francescabeccati@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beccati
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pascucci
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiaradia
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studi del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Mandara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005552:Forelimb / Q000294:innervation; D006736:Horses / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018340:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1 / Q000032:analysis; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013710:Tendons / Q000294:innervation*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D018340:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
keywords: Alpha-1 adrenergic receptor; Deep digital flexor tendon; Horse; Sympathetic innervation; Tyrosine hydroxylase