RILIEVI IMMNOISTOCHIMICI DELLA ORFANINA FQ NELL'APPARATO GENITO URINARIO DEL RATTO (IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF ORPHANIN FQ IN RAT'S UROGENITAL TRACT)

Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ (OFQ) is a recently discovered endogenous neuropeptide that structurally resembles on opioid peptide. In the central nervous system this peptide is implicated in the nociception. More recently its documented distribution in other peripheral structures suggests a possible role for OFQ in regulation of other physiological functions. On this subject the mouse vas deferens is proposed as available bioassay for nociceptin. It therefore seems interesting to evaluate immunohistochemical expression of this neuropeptide in distinct segments of rat male urogenital tract. The results obtained supply the morphohistochemical basis to demonstrate that Orphanin plays a neurocrine control on motility and a paracrine control on secretion in examined urogenital apparatus segments.