| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KANAI Miharu Nagoya City University Medical School, The First Department of Anatomy, Research, 医学部, 助手 (70094365)
HOTTA Yasuaki Nagoya City University Medical School, The First Department of Anatomy, Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (90117854)
MABUCHI Yoshio Nagoya City University Medical School, The First Department of Anatomy, Assistan, 医学部, 助教授 (80106228)
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| Research Abstract |
Our project experiment was initially designed to clarify the fine structure of the pancreatic islet cells using both immunohistochemistry and correlative light and electron microscopy. However, in the course of the experiment, we slightly changed its objective because we detected a new type of cell, called a "lipid-storing cell." Then, we changed the focus of the experiment to the lipid-storing cells.
The results of the experiment may be summarized as follows :
1. Structure and function of the lipid-storing cells were partly clarified. Lipid-storing cells occurred in the pancreatic connective tissues not only in the exocrine part but also in the pancreatic islets of certain animals including human, The cells contained several lipid droplets within the cytoplasm. The lipid droplets might store some toxic substances, such as vitamin A, D, E, streptozotocin and cadmium when they were administered in overdoses to animals. Some of these toxic substances were exactly detected within the lipid
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droplets. For example, cadmium was revealed in the lipid droplets as electron-dense precipitations with cadmium-oxin reaction. The number of lipid-storing cells increased in some experimental conditions such as the administration of glycyrrhizin (one of the extracts from the Chinese herb, glycyrrhiza uralensis), and treatment by acupuncture or moxibustion. One of the functions of the lipid-storing cells is the protection of the animal body from toxic substances which are stored within the lipid droplets.
2. Pancreatic islet cell species including glucagon-secreting A-cells, insulin-secreting B-cells and somatostatin-secreting D-cells in some lower vertebrates including snake, lizard, shard and yellow tail, were distinguished using one of immunohistochemical methods (protein A-gold), and correlative light and electron microscopy.
3. It was also clarified that acupuncture treatments protenced against morphological alterations of the pancreatic exocrine and endocrine parts after aging had begun. Acupuncture also decreased the mortality of the aging animals. Less
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