Osteocalcin- and Osteopontin-Containing Neurons in the Rat Hind Brain

• DOI: 10.1007/s10571-012-9851-1
• Publication Date: 2012-05-02T04:54:10Z
• Authors: Toshihiko Suzuki; Tadasu Sato; Hiroyuki Ichikawa
• Keywords: Male; Neurons; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rhombencephalon; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Osteocalcin; Animals; Osteopontin; Rats; 3. Good health

Immunohistochemistry for osteocalcin (OC) and osteopontin (OPN) was performed to know their distributions in the hind brain of adult rats. OC- and OPN-immunoreactivity (-ir) were detected in neuronal cell bodies, including perikarya and proximal dendrites and the neuropil. In the cranial nerve motor nuclei, numerous OC- and OPN-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons were detected. The neuropil in the cranial motor nuclei mostly showed strong OC- and OPN-staining intensity. The cranial nerve sensory nuclei and other relay and modulating structures in the lower brain stem also contained various numbers of OC- and OPN-ir neurons. The staining intensities in the neuropil were varied among these regions. In the cerebellar cortex, Purkinje cells and granule cells showed OPN-ir but not OC-ir. However, OC- and OPN-ir neurons were abundantly distributed throughout the cerebellar nuclei. The neuropil in the cerebellar nuclei showed moderate OC-ir and strong OPN-ir staining intensities. These findings indicate that the distribution patterns of OC- and OPN-ir neurons were similar in many structures within the hind brain. OC may play a role in modulating neuroprotective function of OPN.