HISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF CHOLINERGIC ACTIVITIES IN EXOCRINE PANCREAS OF DOGS MODIFICATIONS RELATED TO CHRONIC-ALCOHOLISM

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (4) , 161-165
Abstract
A histochemical study was made of pancreatic biopsies from 5 dogs with gastric and pancreatic Thomas cannulae. Three dogs received 2 g kg-1 day-1 ethanol for 3, 4 and 48 mo.; 2 dogs not receiving alcohol served as controls. Acetylcholinesterase [ACh] was studied histochemically. There is less acetylcholinesterase activity in the pancreas of alcoholic dogs than in control dogs. This is more pronounced when the alcohol consumption is prolonged. On the contrary, the intensity of the histochemical reaction for choline acetyl transferase is greater in alcoholic dogs than in controls. Although histochemical methods are only semi-quantitative, these results suggest that the cholinergic tone of the exocrine pancreas is increased in chronic alcoholic dogs. This has already been suggested by previous physiological experiments performed on the same animals.

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