Arterial supply to the adrenal gland in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

Abstract

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has attracted much attention as a nonhuman primate animal model for stress-related experiments. The adrenal gland plays a key role in stress responses and has abundant vasculature, through which the hypothalamic-pituitary axis hormonally controls its activity. Understanding the arterial supply pattern to the gland is fundamental to understanding its function and performing experiments. We therefore traced the arteries supplying the adrenal gland in six male and nine female common marmosets using the latex injection method. The adrenal artery originates from one to four parent arteries, including the caudal phrenic, celiac, left gastric, gonadal, and renal arteries and the abdominal aorta. The branching pattern of the adrenal arteries was divided into Types 1 to 4, having 1–4 parent arteries, respectively. Type 2 was most frequent on the right side (seven of 15 halves, 46%), whereas Type 3 was most frequent on the left (eight of 15 halves, 53%). The number of cranial, middle, and caudal adrenal arteries ranged from one to four in the cranial, one to five in the middle, and one to six in the caudal adrenal arteries. The total number of adrenal arteries varied from three to 13, predominantly as five on one side. The present study revealed frequent individual variations in the origin and number of adrenal arteries in the common marmoset, which may be informative for further research involving the adrenal glands in this species.