Tryptophan hydroxylase can be present in mast cells and nerve fibers of the rat dura mater but only mast cells contain serotonin.

Tryptophan hydroxylase-immunopositive (TPH-I) but not serotonin-I nerve fibers were observed in the rat dura mater. This tissue also contained numerous serotonin and TPH-I mast cells. The TPH appeared to be located in granules and/or enclosed in a juxta-nuclear organite. Westernblots showed that the TPH located in the dura mater is similar to the TPH of pineal gland but different from raphe TPH. According to the animal, both nerve fiber and mast cell TPH immunoreactivity was highly variable in intensity and in number of labelled elements. This variability might be due to the complex regulatory mechanisms of TPH as indicated by the presence of two types of mast cells.