[Regional distribution of pancreatic polypeptide-like immunoreactivity in the canine brain]

Recently many gut hormones have been found in the brain, and there is some evidence to suggest that pancreatic polypeptide-like immunoreactivity (PP-LI) is also present in the brain. Although in mammals, confirmative evidence is not yet shown. In the present paper we report the distribution and tissue localization of PP-LI in the canine brain by radio-immunoassay (RIA) and immunohistochemistry. Normal, fasted mongrel dogs were used. Brain tissue was extracted by boiling water. High concentrations of PP-LI were found in the pituitary gland (3.67 +/- 1.10 ng/g wet wt), substantia nigra (1.58 +/- 0.36 ng/g wet wt), hypothalamus (0.74 +/- 0.28 ng/g wet wt) and olfactory lobe (0.58 +/- 0.21 ng/g wet wt). PP-LI was not detectable in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, striatum, thalamus, hippocampus, pons, cerebellum and medulla oblongata. The amounts of PP-LI in the brain were more less than the amounts of PP present in the pancreas (duodenal lobe, 29.3 +/- 1.1 microgram/g wet wt). The dilution curve of the brain tissue extracts showed parallelism with the standard curve of human and porcine PP on the RIA system. On Bio-Gel P-30 column chromatography, PP-LI from the pituitary gland and olfactory lobe eluted as a single peak coincided with highly purified bovine PP. In immunohistochemical study, PP-LI was found in the intermediate lobe and the stalk of the pituitary gland by means of anti-bovine PP antiserum. These findings of the specific regional localization suggest that PP or PP-LI may have a physiological role in the central nervous system.