An immunohistochemical study on the pancreatic endocrine cells of the C57BL/6 mouse

The regional distribution and relative frequency of the pancreatic endocrine cells in the C57BL/6 mouse were studied by immunohistochemical method using four types of specific mammalian antisera against insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and human pancreatic polypeptide (PP). The pancreas of mouse could be divided into three portions; pancreatic islets, pancreatic duct and exocrine portions, and pancreatic islets were further subdivided into three regions (central, mantle and peripheral regions) according to their located types of immunoreactive cells and pancreatic duct portions were also subdivided into two regions (epithelial and connective tissue regions). In the pancreatic islet portions, although some cells were also demonstrated in the mantle regions, most of insulin-immunoreactive cells were located in the central regions and they were randomly dispersed in the whole pancreatic islets. Glucagon-immunoreactive cells were detected in the mantle and peripheral regions. Their relative frequencies in the peripheral regions were somewhat numerous than those of the mantle regions. Somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were detected in the mantle and peripheral regions. However, no PP-immunoreactive cells were demonstrated in the pancreatic islets of C57BL/6 mouse. In the pancreatic duct portions, rare glucagon-immunoreactive cells were situated in the epithelial regions. Cell clusters that consisted of glucagon- or somatostatin- immunoreactive cells were found in some case of connective tissue regions of pancreatic ducts. However, insulin- and PP-immunoreactive cells were not detected in the epithelial nor connective tissue regions. In the exocrine portions, all four types of immunoreactive cells except for PP cells were demonstrated in the C57BL/6 mouse. However, no PP-immunoreactive cells were demonstrated. In conclusion, regional distribution of endocrine cells in the pancreas of C57BL/6 mouse was similar to that of mammals, especially other rodents except for topographically different distribution of endocrine cells compared to that of other rodents.