Table 3 Semiquantitative analysis of artemin and GFRα3 immunoreactivity in normal pancreas and in chronic pancreatitis.
| Acini | Ductal cells | Tubular complexes | Ganglia | Nerves | Arteries | Inflammatory cells | Islets | Connective tissue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NP | |||||||||
| Artemin | – | – | – | – | + | – | – | – | |
| GFRα3 | – | ++ | – | – | –/+ | – | +++ | – | |
| CP | |||||||||
| Artemin | –/+ | ++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | – | – | – |
| GFRα3 | + | ++ | ++ | – | ++ | ++ | –/+ | +++ | – |
–, absent; +, weak; ++, moderate; +++, strong immunoreactivity; CP, chronic pancreatitis; NP, normal pancreas; GFRα3, glial derived neurotrophic factor family receptor α3.