Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Sannio, Via Port'Arsa 11, 82 100 Benevento, Italy.
Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2012 Sep;295(9):1482-93. doi: 10.1002/ar.22532. Epub 2012 Jul 13.
This study provides an immunohistochemical approach to the expression of leptin in the gastrointestinal tract of the monogastric South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens), and the poligastric bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The specific organization of the gastrointestinal tract is examined in relation to the neuroendocrine regulation of the gut exerted by leptin. In the South American sea lion some leptin-like-immunoreactive (ir) cells, and endocrine type cells, were found in the pit of gastric mucosal folds and in the epithelium of duodenum as well as numerous neurons were detected in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the stomach. In the bottlenose dolphin, many leptin-like-ir cells, and exocrine type cells, were identified in the mucosal layer of the main stomach as well as several neurons and nervous fibers were detected in nervous plexuses of main stomach, pyloric stomach, proximal, and middle intestine. Our data suggest that the distribution of leptin-like peptides is similar in the two species, notwithstanding the different anatomical organization of the gastrointestinal apparatus of South American sea lion and bottlenose dolphin. These findings "suggest" the presence of a basal plan in the regulation of food intake, body weight, energy balance and of the gastrointestinal functions in general also in marine mammals with different and specific feeding habits.
本研究采用免疫组织化学方法研究了单胃南美海狮（Otaria flavescens）和多胃宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus）胃肠道中瘦素的表达。研究了胃肠道的特定组织与瘦素对肠道的神经内分泌调节之间的关系。在南美海狮中，胃黏膜褶皱的凹陷处和十二指肠的上皮中发现了一些类似瘦素的免疫反应性（ir）细胞和内分泌细胞，并且在胃的黏膜下和肌间神经丛中检测到了许多神经元。在宽吻海豚中，在主胃的黏膜层中发现了许多类似瘦素的 ir 细胞和外分泌细胞，并且在主胃、幽门胃、近端和中肠的神经丛中检测到了几个神经元和神经纤维。我们的数据表明，尽管南美海狮和宽吻海豚的胃肠道解剖结构不同，但类似瘦素肽的分布在这两个物种中是相似的。这些发现“表明”在不同且具有特定饮食习惯的海洋哺乳动物中，存在着一种调节食物摄入、体重、能量平衡和一般胃肠道功能的基础计划。
