The gastrointestinal endocrine cells of the Pond tortoise, Amyda sinensis were studied immunohistochemically, and somatostatin-, gastrin/cholecystokinin(GAS/CCK)-, glucagon-, 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)-, insulin- and chromogranin-immunoreactive cells were revealed. The characteristic findings of the regional distribution and relative frequency of these immunoreative cells in the gastrointestinal tract of the Pond tortoise were as follows;
A few somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were distributed from the segment I to the segment V. GAS/CCK-immunoreactive cells were found from the segment III to the segment VII. These cells were numerous in the segment III and a few in the other segments. A few glucagonimmunoreactive cells were found in the segment I and rare in the segment II. 5-HT-immunoreactive cells were found throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Numerous numbers of them were found in the segment I, while moderate or a few in the other segments. Insulin-immunoreactive cells were distributed from the segment II to the segment IX. Moderate numbers of them were found in the segment VIII and IX, while a few in the other segments. Chromogranin-immunoreactive cells were found from the segment III to the segment VI. Moderate numbers of these cells were found in the segment IV and V, while a few in the other segments. BPP-immunoreactive cells were not observed throughout the gastrointestinal tract of the Pond tortoise, Amyda sinensis.
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