Immunohistochemical characterization of nerve fibers supplying canine elbow joint capsule

INTRODUCTION: Only a few studies on the innervation of the dog's elbow joint have been described in veterinary literature. Consequently, there is a lack of information on the distribution and density of sensory nerve fibers within the dog's elbow joint capsule. In the current study, the density of nerve fibers and their functional characteristics within the dog's elbow joint capsule were determined by using immunohistochemical techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study material consisted of isolated joint capsules of the right and left elbow joints of 10 dogs, was divided into four quadrants: cranial, caudal, lateral and medial. The prepared material was cut with cryostat in to 14-16µm thick sections and next subjected to double immunohistochemical staining. Primary antisera directed against acetylated tubulin (AccTub), substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), galanin (GAL), and dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DβH) were used for the study. The obtained preparations were analyzed using a Zeiss LSM 700 confocal microscope. RESULTS: Immunoreactive fibers for all studied substances were located in all quadrants of the elbow joint capsule. CONCLUSION: The created preliminary model of the innervation of the dog's elbow joint provides a basis for expanding the scope of research on the innervation of this joint. Additionally, it may contribute to the search for new or improvement of existing surgical techniques within this joint.