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Published on: December 9, 2022
Orexins and their receptors in the human retina
Egemen Savaskan1, Franz Müller-Spahn, Fides Meier
1Psychiatric University Clinic, Basel, Switzerland. esavaskan@datacomm.ch
Objectives:
Orexins A and B are neuropeptides involved in the regulation of feeding behavior, energy homeostasis and arousal. In the human retina, however, immunohistochemical localization of orexins and their receptors, OX-R1 and OX-R2, has not been ascertained.
Methods:
We localized orexins A and B, OX-R1 and OX-R2 in the human retina using immunohistochemistry. Retinae from 2 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients provided preliminary evidence for possible orexin alterations.
Results:
Orexin A, orexin B and OX-R1 were localized in ganglion and amacrine cells, cellular processes in the inner and outer plexiform layer and in the inner segments of photoreceptor cells. There was no OX-R2 immunoreactivity in the retina. The staining intensity for both orexins was decreased in the AD patients.
Conclusion:
This immunohistochemical study provides the first evidence for the distribution of orexin A, orexin B and OX-R1 in the human retina. The localization pattern suggests a modulatory role for orexins in the interactions of those retinal cells which transmit light information to the suprachiasmatic nuclei, and thus may be involved in circadian rhythm entrainment.
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