Abstract
Background Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is a commonly used anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic drug, which has many side effects on the gastric mucosal layer. Despite this, knowledge concerning the influence of ASA on neuronal cells supplying the stomach is very scanty. Methods This investigation was performed on ten immature gilts of the Large White Polish race divided into two groups (five animals in each): a control group and animals which were treated with ASA. The retrograde neuronal tracer Fast Blue (FB) was injected into the prepyloric region of the stomach in all animals. ASA was then given orally to the experimental (ASA) group of gilts from the seventh day after FB injection to the 27th day of the experiment. After this period, all animals were euthanized. Immediately after euthanasia, nodose ganglia (NG) were collected and subjected to a standard double-labelling immunofluorescence technique using antibodies directed toward substance P (SP) and other selected neuronal factors, such as galanin (GAL), neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Key Results. The obtained results show that SP-LI neurons located in NG supplying the porcine stomach were also immunoreactive to all the above-mentioned neuronal factors. Moreover, ASA administration caused an increase in the degree of colocalization of SP with other neuronal active substances, and the most visible changes concerned the number of neurons simultaneously immunoreactive to SP and CGRP. Conclusions and Inferences. These observations indicate that the population of SP-LI neurons supplying the stomach is not homogeneous and may undergo changes after ASA administration. These changes are probably connected with inflammatory processes and/or neuroprotective reactions although their exact mechanisms remain unknown.
Highlights
The innervation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract consists of two main components
All neuronal active substances studied were observed in substance P (SP)-positive neurons located in nodose ganglia and supplying the prepyloric region of the stomach, both under physiological conditions and after Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) administration
In the right nodose ganglia (NG), neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) was noted in 41:83% ± 2:62% of all Fast Blue (FB)+/SP+ neurons, and in the left, nNOS was noted in 50:88% ± 4:20%
Summary
The first of them is the enteric nervous system (ENS) located in the wall of the digestive tract and built from the large number of neurons grouped in the enteric ganglia interconnected with a dense network of fibers and forming intramural ganglionated plexuses [1, 2]. These observations indicate that the population of SP-LI neurons supplying the stomach is not homogeneous and may undergo changes after ASA administration. These changes are probably connected with inflammatory processes and/or neuroprotective reactions their exact mechanisms remain unknown
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