扬子鳄消化道Ghrelin免疫活性细胞的分布及其在冬眠期的密度变化

目的 研究扬子鳄（Alligator sinensis）消化道中生长素释放肽ghrelin免疫活性（IR）细胞的分布、组织定位及其在冬眠期的变化.方法 应用链霉亲和素-生物素-过氧化物酶复合物（SABC）免疫组织化学方法结合生物统计学分析.结果 Ghrelin-IR细胞在扬子鳄的小胃密度最高,在胃贲门部、胃体和胃幽门部有少量分布,主要位于胃腺上皮细胞之间.在食管、十二指肠、空肠、回肠和直肠中均未检测出ghrelin-IR细胞.冬眠期小胃ghrelin-IR细胞显著性减少（P〈0.01）,其它部位无显著性变化（P〉0.05）.结论扬子鳄消化道ghrelin-IR细胞的分布同其它动物有相似之处,也有其一定的特异性.Ghrelin在扬子鳄冬眠期的代谢变化和能量稳态的调节中起重要作用.

Distribution of ghrelin-immunoreactive cells in the digestive tract of Alligator sinensis and their density change during hibernation

Objective To investigate the distribution and localization of growth hormone releasing peptide （ghrelin） immunoreactive （IR） cells in the digestive tract of Alligator sinensis and the density change during hibernation. Methods Streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex （SABC） immunohistochemical method was used in combination with biological statistical analysis. Results Ghrelin-IR cells occured with the highest density in the small stomach, with small quantity in the stomachus cardiacus, stomachus corpus and stomachus pyloricus, and they were mainly localized between epithelial cells of the gastric gland. No ghrelin-IR cells were detected in oesophagus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and rectum. During hiberna- tion, the density of ghrelin-IR cells decreased significantly in the small stomach （P〈0.01）, while no sig nificant changes were observed in the other parts of the digestive tract （P〉0.05）. Conclusion The distri- butional pattern of ghrelin-IR cells is similar to that of other animals, but some species-dependent unique features of the species were also found. Ghrelin may play an important role in the regulation of metabolic changes and energy homeostasis in Alligator sinensis during hibernation.