 BackResearch Article ScienceAsia 29 (2003): 235-239 |doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2003.29.235 Demonstration of Amino Acid Neurotransmitter Innervation in Human Pineal GlandPansiri Phansuwan-Pujito1,*, Siriwan Thammikul2, Paisarn Sithigorngul3 and Piyarat Govitrapong2
1 Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. * Corresponding author, Email: pansiri@swu.ac.th Received 17 Jul 2002, Accepted 4 Mar 2003
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-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu), are known
to be involved in the physiological functions of the mammalian pineal gland. In order to investigate both of
these innervations in the human pineal, the immunohistochemical study was performed on the human pineal
glands by using monoclonal antibodies against GABA and antiserum against glutamate as probes. GABA immunoreactive
(IR) cells and nerve fibers were found throughout the gland. Some IR cells resembled
neurons with long processes were found occasionally. Only a few Glu-IR nerve fibers but many Glu-IR cell
bodies were demonstrated in the human pineal gland. They were arranged with unstained cells into clusters
and some of them appeared to be neuron-like cells. Therefore, the present study supports the theory of
regulation by both GABA and glutamate amino acid neurotransmitters in the human pineal gland. In
addition, the presence of numerous immunoreactive cells indicates paracrine or local circuit regulation in
human pineal.
