Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a serious, widely distributed systemic disease caused by feline coronavirus (FCoV), in which ocular disease is common. However, questions remain about the patterns of ocular inflammation and the distribution of viral antigen in the eyes of cats with FIP. This study characterized the ocular lesions of FIP including the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and proliferating cell nuclear antigen by Müller cells in the retina in cases of FIP and to what extent macrophages are involved in ocular inflammation in FIP. Immunohistochemistry for FCoV, CD3, CD79a, glial fibrillary acidic protein, calprotectin, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen was performed on paraffin sections from 15 naturally occurring cases of FIP and from controls. Glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was increased in the retina in cases of FIP. Müller cell proliferation was present within lesions of retinal detachment. Macrophages were present in FIP-associated ocular lesions, but they were the most numerous inflammatory cells only within granulomas (2/15 cats, 13%). In cases of severe inflammation of the ciliary body with damage to blood vessel walls and ciliary epithelium (3/15, 20%), some macrophages expressed FCoV antigens, and immunolabeling for calprotectin on consecutive sections suggested that these FCoV-positive macrophages were likely to be recently derived from blood. In cases of severe and massive inflammation of most ocular structures (4/15, 26%), B cells and plasma cells predominated over T cells and macrophages. These results indicate that gliosis can be present in FIP-affected retinas and suggest that breakdown of the blood–ocular barrier can allow FCoV-bearing macrophages to access the eye.

Several observations from experiments in rodents and human patients suggest that diabetes affects pineal gland function, including melatonin secretion; however, the accumulated data are not consistent. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the pineal gland in the domestic pig, a species widely used as a model in various biomedical studies. The study was performed on 10 juvenile pigs, which were divided into two groups: control and diabetic. Diabetes was evoked by administration of streptozotocin (150 mg/kg of body weight). After six weeks, the animals were euthanized between 12.00 and 14.00, and the pineal glands were removed and divided into two equal parts, which were used for biochemical analyses and for preparation of explants for the superfusion culture. The pineal contents (per 100 μg protein) of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, 5-hydroxytryptophol, 5-methoxyindole acetic acid, 5-methoxytryptophol, and 5-methoxytryptamine were significantly lower in diabetic pigs than in control pigs. In contrast, the level of N-acetylserotonin was significantly higher in diabetic animals. No significant differences were found in the level of melatonin between control and experimental pigs. The amounts of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were significantly lower in the pineal glands of diabetic animals. The level of vanillylmandelic acid was higher in diabetic pigs. No differences were observed in the level of basal and NE-stimulated release of N-acetylserotonin or melatonin between the pineal explants prepared from control and experimental animals. In vitro treatment with insulin was ineffective. In conclusion, streptozotocin-induced diabetes affects both indole metabolism and adrenergic neurotransmission in the pig pineal gland.

The metabolism of pineal indoles is closely related to alterations in the light and dark phases of a daily cycle. Recent research showed important interspecies differences in the pineal biochemistry, and a strong impact of monochromatic light on many physiological processes in birds. Therefore, the aims of study were to characterize the metabolism of melatonin-synthesis indoles in the pineal organ of the domestic turkey, and to determine the changes occurring in this metabolism under the influence of different wavelengths and intensities of light. For this purpose, 3-week-old turkeys were kept under 16 lx white light, or under blue, green, and red light with intensities of 16, 32, and 64 lx during the photophase, and after 7 d were sacrificed at 4 h intervals. The activities of melatonin-synthesizing enzymes and the contents of indoles were measured in the same pineal organ. The results revealed that the activities of tryptophan hydroxylase and arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase, and the levels of all tryptophan derivatives had significant daily changes in birds kept under each light condition used. The profile of pineal indole metabolism in 4-week-old turkeys was characterized by high-amplitude rhythms in the activity of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase and the contents of N-acetylserotonin and melatonin, equal relative amounts of serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and higher content of melatonin than N-acetylserotonin. The monochromatic light significantly modified the pineal indole metabolism, and its effects were dependent on the color and intensity of light. Pronounced changes occurred in the level of serotonin synthesis and the daily rhythm course of melatonin synthesis.

Research on age-dependent changes in pineal activity has been limited almost exclusively to melatonin (MLT). This study determined, for the first time, the alterations occurring in the metabolic profile of MLT synthesis-related indoles during the post-embryonic development period in birds. Turkeys reared under a 12 h light/dark cycle were euthanized at 2 h intervals for 24 h at the ages of 2, 7, 14, and 28 days and 10, 20, 30, and 45 weeks. The results showed prominent changes in the metabolic profile of indoles during development and could be distinguished in four stages. The first stage, from hatching to the age of 2 weeks, was characterized by a decrease in the 5-hydroxytryptophan concentration and an increase in the concentrations of serotonin (5-HT), MLT, 5-methoxyindoleacetic acid, and 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MTAM). During the second stage, around the age of 1 month, the concentrations of N-acetylserotonin (NAS) and MLT reached a maximum. The synthesis and degradation of 5-HT were also the highest. The third stage, around the age of 10 weeks, was characterized by decreased levels of 5-HT (approximately 50%) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and a high level of 5-MTAM. The last stage, covering the age of 20 to 45 weeks, was characterized by a large decrease in the synthesis, content, and degradation of 5-HT. Despite these changes, there were no prominent differences in the nocturnal levels of NAS and MLT between the third and fourth stages. The concentrations of all tryptophan derivatives showed daily fluctuations until the age of 45 weeks.

The European beaver is a herbivorous rodent whose diet changes seasonally, and in winter consists of large quantities of woody plants. It is distinguished among other mammals by a unique organization of the stomach that comprises the cardiogastric gland and by the unusual process of mucus formation in the gastric mucosa. The aim of study was to (i) characterize the structure of the beaver esophagus with particular attention to the mucosal epithelium; (ii) compare the histological structure of the esophagi collected in spring, summer, and winter; (iii) provide preliminary data on the structure of the esophagus in beaver fetuses. The study was conducted on esophagi of 18 adult beavers captured in Poland in April, August, and December, and on 3 fetal organs. The results obtained in adults show that the mucosa is lined with thick stratified squamous keratinized epithelium with a structure similar to that of the skin epidermis. Ultrastructural studies reveal the presence of multiple lamellar and non-lamellar bodies in granular cells, whose morphology and location gradually change while reaching the upper epithelial layers. The muscularis mucosa comprises a layer of longitudinally oriented bundles of smooth muscle cells. Both mucosa and submucosa do not comprise any glands. The thick muscularis externa consists mainly of internal circular and external longitudinal layers of striated muscle fibers. The keratinized layer of mucosa epithelium was 2-3-fold thicker in esophagi collected in winter than in those collected in spring and summer, while the epithelial cell layer thickness remained unchanged regardless of the season. Immunolabeling for proliferating cell nuclear antigen shows a higher index of epithelium proliferation in esophagi collected in winter than in spring and summer. No seasonal differences were noted in other layers of the esophagus. Fetal organs have epithelium covered with a keratinized layer, thinner than in adults, and the muscularis externa comprises both striated and smooth muscle cells.