Jeffrey A. Love, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Guyton 327
(601) 984-1621
JLove@pharmacology.umsmed.edu
Research Interest:
Autonomic Control of Gastrointestinal Function
Current Research
Neural Control of Pancreatic Secretion
The long-range goals of our research are to 1) understand how the various branches of the autonomic nervous system regulate pancreatic endocrine and exocrine secretion, and 2) to study the role of the pancreatic innervation in the etiology and/or pathophysiology of acute and chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus.
The electrical properties of pancreatic neurons, pharmacology and plasticity of synaptic transmission, and noradrenergic transmission were characterized in isolated pancreatic ganglia using intracellular recordings combined with immunohistochemistry, HPLC, and measurements of [3H] norepinephrine release. Cholinergic, adrenergic, and non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic synaptic transmission at the neuroeffector junctions between pancreatic neurons and acini were characterized using immunohistochemistry, and measurements of nerve-stimulated amylase secretion in isolated pancreatic lobules. Primary cultures of adult pancreatic neurons were demonstrated to retain the neurochemical profile and electrical properties observed in neurons from intact ganglia while forming functional cholinergic synapses.
Future studies of the pancreatic innervation will focus on (1) short- and long-term synaptic plasticity at individual synapses in pancreatic ganglia and in cultured pancreatic neurons, (2) defining the morphology, electrical properties, and synaptic potentials of pancreatic neurons innervating specific targets (acini, islets, ducts), (3) identifying the sources and signaling pathways of inhibitory neurotransmitters in pancreatic ganglia, (4) local reflex control of ganglionic transmission by enteric and post-ganglionic sympathetic neurons, (5) patch-clamp recordings of ionic currents regulating the excitability of acutely isolated pancreatic neurons and the effects of neurotransmitters on these currents, and (6) neuroimmune interactions in ganglia, acini, ducts, and islets during acute and chronic pancreatitis, and diabetes mellitus.
Selected Publications
Love, J.A., and Szebeni, K. Morphology and histochemistry of the rabbit pancreatic innervation. Pancreas 18:53-64, 1999. 
Love, J.A., and Szebeni, K. Histochemistry and electrophysiology of adult rabbit pancreatic neurons in primary culture. Pancreas 18:65-74, 1999.
Love, J.A., Smith, T.G., and Szebeni, K. Veratridine-stimulated amylase secretion from rabbit pancreatic lobules: role of cholinergic and non-cholinergic receptors. Pancreas 19:231-8, 1999.
Love, J.A., Smith, T.G., and Szebeni, K. Role of adrenergic receptors in veratridine-stimulated amylase secretion from rabbit pancreatic lobules. Pancreas 20: 177-83, 2000.
Love, J.A. Electrical properties and synaptic potentials of rabbit pancreatic neurons. J. Autonom. Nerv. Syst. 84, 68-77, 2000.
Yi, E., Smith, T.G., Baker, R.C., and Love, J.A. Catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine in tissues of the rabbit exocrine pancreas. Pancreas 29(3):218-224, 2004.
Yi, E., Smith, T.G., and Love, J.A. Noradrenergic innervation of rabbit pancreatic ganglia. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 117:87-96, 2005.
Yi, E., and Love, J.A. Short-term synaptic plasticity in rabbit pancreatic ganglia. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 119: 36-47, 2005.
Yi, E., and Love, J.A. Alpha-adrenergic modulation of synaptic transmission in rabbit pancreatic ganglia. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 122: 45-47, 2005.