Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty and Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, National Defense Medical College, Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.
J Vet Med Sci. 2021 Dec 2;83(12):1805-1811. doi: 10.1292/jvms.21-0431. Epub 2021 Oct 19.
The degu has drawn increasing attention for use as an experimental animal in stress response studies due to its physiological features, such as diurnality and seasonal breeding, which differ from conventional laboratory rodents. Stress response is elicited by steroid hormones secreted by the adrenal gland, whose functions are controlled by pituitary hormones reaching through the adrenal arteries. However, knowledge of the arterial anatomy of the degu adrenal gland remains insufficient. To address this issue, we observed adrenal arteries in 20 male degus injected with red-colored latex. Adrenal arterial branching patterns were classified into Types 1-4, which respectively have 1 to 4 parent arteries that give rise to the adrenal arteries. Based on the combination of the parent arteries, Types 2 and 3 were categorized into subtypes a to c, while Type 4 was categorized into subtypes a and b. On the left side, Type 2 (45%) and Type 3 (45%) were predominant, whereas Type 1 (5%) and Type 4 (5%) were infrequent. On the right side, Type 2 (50%) and Type 3 (45%) were predominant, whereas Type 4 (5%) was infrequent. Type 1 was not present. There were 0 to 4 cranial, 1 to 4 middle and 1 to 4 caudal adrenal arteries, with the total number varying from 2 to 9. The present observation provides knowledge of comparative anatomical features of the degu adrenal arteries, which can serve as an anatomical basis for comparative endocrinological studies.
地松鼠由于其生理特征，如昼行性和季节性繁殖，与传统的实验室啮齿动物不同，因此越来越多地被用作应激反应研究的实验动物。应激反应是由肾上腺分泌的类固醇激素引起的，其功能受通过肾上腺动脉到达的垂体激素控制。然而，对地松鼠肾上腺动脉的解剖知识仍然不足。为了解决这个问题，我们观察了 20 只注射红色乳胶的雄性地松鼠的肾上腺动脉。将肾上腺动脉的分支模式分为 1-4 型，分别有 1-4 条主动脉产生肾上腺动脉。根据主动脉的组合，2 型和 3 型进一步分为 a 到 c 亚型，而 4 型分为 a 和 b 亚型。在左侧，2 型（45%）和 3 型（45%）占优势，而 1 型（5%）和 4 型（5%）较少见。在右侧，2 型（50%）和 3 型（45%）占优势，而 4 型（5%）较少见。没有 1 型。有 0-4 条颅侧、1-4 条中间和 1-4 条尾侧肾上腺动脉，总数从 2 到 9 条不等。本观察提供了地松鼠肾上腺动脉比较解剖学特征的知识，可为比较内分泌学研究提供解剖学基础。
