Authors : Yunhai Zhang, Yunsheng Li , Zhizhong Zhang , Zubing Cao , Shudong Jiang , Jing Yang , Xiaorong Zhang and Fugui Fang
Abstract: Substance P (SP) belongs to the tachykinin family and plays important roles in many physiological processes. The distribution of SP has not been investigated in the digestive tract of the tiger. The present study was performed to describe the histological structure and location of SP in the digestive tract which included the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine of the Siberian tiger at 8 days of age. The tissues of the digestive tract were collected from three 8 days old Siberian tigers that died of cold weather. The weight was recorded and the histological sections were made and stained with HE. The localization of SP in tissue was detected by immunohistochemical two-step PV-9000. The results show that the length of the digestive tract was approximately 215.6 cm with an average weight of 48.95 g. The wall of the digestive tract consisted of mucosa, submucosa, unica muscularis and tunica adventitia. The epithelium of the esophagus was a stratified squamous type without beginning surface cornification and the unica muscularis consisted of skeletal muscle. The lamina propria of the stomach was located by many glands but did not reach the muscularis mucosa. SP-immunoreactive cells were identified primarily in the epithelium and the cardiac gland of the stomach. SP- immunoreactive cells were also found in the intestinal gland of the lamina propria of the cecum and the colon. The current study preliminarily revealed the histological features and the distribution of SP in the digestive tract of an 8 days old Siberian tiger which requires further investigation.
Yunhai Zhang, Yunsheng Li , Zhizhong Zhang , Zubing Cao , Shudong Jiang , Jing Yang , Xiaorong Zhang and Fugui Fang , 2012. The Histological Structure and Location of Substance P in the Digestive Tract of the Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 735-741.