Abstract
Melatonin and nitric oxide (NO) are involved in orofacial signal processing in the trigeminal sensory system. The aim of the present study was to examine the distribution of melatonin 1a-receptor (MT1) and its colocalization with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) in the spinal trigeminal nucleus (STN), the trigeminal ganglion (TG), and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN) in the rat, using histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Our results show that MT1-positive neurons are widely distributed in the TG and the subnucleus caudalis of the STN. Furthermore, we found that MT1 colocalizes with NADPH-d throughout the TG and MTN, most extensively in the TG. The distribution pattern of MT1 and its colocalization with NADPH-d indicate that melatonin might play an important role in the trigeminal sensory system, which could be responsible for the regulation of NO levels.