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Mapping of enkephalins and adrenocorticotropic hormone in the squirrel monkey brainstem

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Abstract

An immunocytochemical technique has been used to study for the first time the distribution of fibers and cell bodies containing leucine–enkephalin (leu-enk), methionine–enkephalin (met-enk) or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in the whole brainstem of the squirrel monkey Saimiri sciureus. Cell bodies containing leu-enk or met-enk were found in the superior colliculus and the formatio reticularis tegmenti mesencephali, respectively. No immunoreactive cell bodies containing ACTH were observed. Leu-enk-immunoreactive fibers were observed in 40 brainstem nuclei/tracts/regions, fibers containing met-enk were found in 38 brainstem nuclei/tracts/regions and fibers containing ACTH were found in 26 nuclei/tracts/regions. In the latter case, the density of immunoreactive fibers was always low. A high/moderate density of leu-enk- or met-enk-immunoreactive fibers were found in 18 and 16 brainstem nuclei/tracts/regions, respectively. The distribution of immunoreactive fibers containing leu-enk or met-enk was quite similar, with both leu-enk and met-enk observed in 82.5 % of the squirrel monkey brainstem nuclei/tracts/regions. This relationship is less marked for met-enk and ACTH (60.5 %) and even lower for leu-enk and ACTH (52.5 %). In 42.5 % of the nuclei/tracts/regions of the squirrel monkey brainstem (colliculus superior, substantia grisea centralis, nucleus interpeduncularis, nucleus tractus spinalis nervi trigemini, nucleus tractus solitarii, nucleus parabrachialis, formatio reticularis, substantia nigra), we observed fibers containing all three neuropeptides. The widespread distribution reported here suggests that enkephalins and ACTH can be involved in several physiological functions. The distribution of the immunoreactive fibers reported here is quite similar to that previously reported for enkephalins and ACTH in Macaca species and humans.

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Abbreviations

Ann:

Nucleus annularis

AS:

Aqueductus Sylvii

BC:

Brachium conjunctivum

BP:

Brachium pontis

Cd:

Nucleus caudatus

CD:

Nucleus cochlearis dorsalis

Cn:

Nucleus cuneatus

CnL:

Nucleus cuneatus lateralis

CM:

Centrum medianum thalami

CM-pf:

Centrum medianum–parafascicularis complex

CoS:

Colliculus superior

CT:

Corpus trapezoideum

CV:

Nucleus cochlearis ventralis

DBC:

Decussatio brachii conjunctivi

DG:

Nucleus dorsalis tegmenti (Gudden)

DPy:

Decussatio pyramidum

DR:

Nucleus dorsalis raphae

DV:

Nucleus dorsalis nervi vagi

FC:

Funiculus gracilis

FRM:

Formatio reticularis myelencephali

FRPo:

Formatio reticularis pontis oralis

FRTM:

Formatio reticularis tegmenti mesencephali

G:

Nucleus gracilis

GC:

Substantia grisea centralis

GCv:

Substantia grisea centralis, pars ventralis

GM:

Corpus geniculatum medialis

GPo:

Griseum pontis

IP:

Nucleus interpeduncularis

LC:

Locus coeruleus

LM:

Nucleus lemnisci lateralis

LP:

Nucleus lateralis posterior thalami

MD:

Nucleus medialis dorsalis thalami

NCI:

Nucleus colliculi inferioris

NCS:

Nucleus centralis superior tegmenti

NIII:

Nucleus nervi oculomotorii

nIV:

Nervus trochlearis

NIV:

Nucleus nervi trochlearis

NR:

Nucleus ruber

NSv:

Nucleus tractus spinalis nervi trigemini

NTS:

Nucleus tractus solitarii

nV:

Nervus trigemini

NVI:

Nucleus nervi abducentis

NVII:

Nucleus nervi facialis

nVIII:

Nervus vestibularis

nVIIIa:

Nervus acusticus

NXII:

Nucleus nervi hypoglossi

OI:

Nucleus olivaris inferior

OIm:

Nucleus olivaris inferior, accessorius medialis

OIp:

Nucleus olivaris inferior principalis

OS:

Nucleus olivaris superior

P:

Nucleus posterior thalami

PbL:

Nucleus parabrachialis lateralis

PbM:

Nucleus parabrachialis medialis

pf:

Nucleus parafascicularis thalami

Pp:

Nucleus praepositus

PTc:

Nucleus praetectalis

PuO:

Nucleus peripeduncularis oralis thalami

Pv:

Nucleus principalis nervi trigemini

Py:

Tractus pyramidalis

RL:

Nucleus reticularis lateralis myelencephali

RPm:

Nucleus reticularis paramedianus myelencephali

RTP:

Nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis

SNc:

Substantia nigra, pars compacta

SNd:

Substantia nigra, pars diffusa

TSc:

Tractus tectospinalis nervi trigemini

TTS:

Tractus tectospinalis

VesI:

Nucleus vestibularis inferior

VesL:

Nucleus vestibularis lateralis

VesM:

Nucleus vestibularis medialis

VesS:

Nucleus vestibularis superior

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (BFU2005-02241/BFI), Spain, by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (BFU2008-03369/BFI), Spain and by the Universidad de Santander UDES (CI/PICF0-114020041814EJ), Bucaramanga, Colombia. The authors wish to thank Professor Gérard Tramu (Université de Bordeaux I, France) for the gift of primary antibodies.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neurosciences (Bloque Arhuaco), School of Medicine, Universidad de Santander UDES, Calle 70 n° 55-210, Campus Lago del Cacique, Bucaramanga, Colombia

    Ewing Duque-Díaz

  2. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Málaga, Malaga, Spain

    Zaida Díaz-Cabiale & José Angel Narváez

  3. Laboratory of Neuroanatomy of the Peptidergic Systems (Lab. 14), Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León (INCYL), Salamanca, Spain

    Rafael Coveñas

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  1. Ewing Duque-Díaz
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  2. Zaida Díaz-Cabiale
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  3. José Angel Narváez
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  4. Rafael Coveñas
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Correspondence to Ewing Duque-Díaz.

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Duque-Díaz, E., Díaz-Cabiale, Z., Narváez, J.A. et al. Mapping of enkephalins and adrenocorticotropic hormone in the squirrel monkey brainstem. Anat Sci Int 92, 275–292 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-016-0333-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-016-0333-2

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