Post-Mortem Immunohistochemical Evidence of β2-Adrenergic Receptor Expression in the Adrenal Gland

The evidence from post-mortem biochemical studies conducted on cortisol and
catecholamines suggest that analysis of the adrenal gland could provide useful information about its
role in human pathophysiology and the stress response. Authors designed an immunohistochemical
study on the expression of the adrenal β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR), a receptor with high-affinity
for catecholamines, with the aim to show which zones it is expressed in and how its expression
differs in relation to the cause of death. The immunohistochemical study was performed on adrenal
glands obtained from 48 forensic autopsies of subjects that died as a result of different pathogenic
mechanisms using a mouse monoclonal β2-AR antibody. The results show that immunoreactivity
for β2-AR was observed in all adrenal zones. Furthermore, immunoreactivity for β2-AR has shown
variation in the localization and intensity of different patterns in relation to the original cause of death.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates β2-AR expression in the human
cortex and provides suggestions on the possible involvement of β2-AR in human cortex hormonal
stimulation. In conclusion, the authors provide a possible explanation for the observed differences in
expression in relation to the cause of death.