Kovalenko R.I., Sibarov D.A., Nozdrachev A.D.,
The influence of unilateral olfactory epithelium stimulation on rat pineal cells during the stress.
Abstracts of 13th I nternational Congress of Comparative Endocrinology, November 16-21, Yokohama, Japan. p.65, 1997.

Physiology Dept, Fac Biol, S.-Petersburg State Univ, S.Petersburg, University emb. 7/9, Russia

Electrophysiological and electron-microscopy study of intact and stress-subjected (48-hour water and food deprivation) male and female Wistar rat’s (180-220 g) pineal gland cells was performed. Furthermore, the effec ts of unilateral oxytocin (OT) intranasal infusions (1.5x10-13 g. in 15 ml 0.9% NaCl) and electric stimulation of olfactory epithelium (40 V, 100Hz, 50 ms during 15s) was studied. The stress-induced activation of secretory processes (se cretory vesicles accumulation and their extrusion, active nuclear chromatin, ..) in light pinealocytes was noticed, that differed from dark pinealocytes. It was accompanied by a significant increase (from 0.47±0.08Hz to 1.13±0.10Hz) in spike frequency of spontaneously active cells (N=90). OT applications or electric stimulation during the stress-induced activation of pinealocytes lead to a significant decrease of their functional activity (reduced electric activity and inhibited processes of secretion, reflected in chromatin activity decrease, cytoskeleton changes and lesser number of secretory vesicles). The difference of efficiency of right- and left-side stimulation points at a possible asymmetry of neuronal pathways linking olfactory bulbs and a pineal gland.