MAST CELL DENSITY AND EXPRESSION OF TRYPTASE, IFN-γ, TNF-α IN CAPSAICIN-TREATED RAT UTERUS

Capsaicin is the active ingredient in cayenne pepper. Capsaicin is used in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry due to its physiological and pharmacological effect. Mast cell are scattered a long both external and internal surfaces of the body where they act as the first line defense. It is known that immune system cells and some cytokines secreted from these cells play a key role in the early stages of implantation. It is known that mast cells and many cytokines can indirectly affect hormonal mechanisms in the uterus. The aim of this study is to investigate the mast cell heterogeneity and numerical distribution in the uterus of capsaicin applied rats during different developmental periods. Forty Sprague Dawley female rats were used. Rats were divided into two groups as pubertal and adult, and each group was divided into two treatment groups. The first group remained without any treatment (control group), the second group (experimental-capsaicin treated group or CAP group) received daily subcutaneous injections of 1 mg/kg/day capsaicin and tissue samples were processed for conventional histology and for immunohistochemistry using the Streptavidin-Biotin Peroxidase method and a rabbit polyclonal anti-VR1 primary antibody. In the presented study the high expression of TNF-α and IFN-γ and mast cell number were observed in capsaicin group. In a conclusion, this study revealed the relationship between capsaicin, TNF-α, IFN-γ and mast cells in the uterus.