Enteric glia regulates the expression of neutrophil inflammatory factors during acute inflammation

Abstract

Abstract Inflammation is an event in functional gastrointestinal disorders that has detrimental effects in the enteric nervous system. Recent advances in our understanding of the immune and enteric nervous system indicate that enteric glial cells modulate immune cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Previous single-nuclei multiomic analysis has shown that genes that encode for and influence neutrophil function, Neutrophil cytosolic factor 4 and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5, are changed in enteric glia during peak colitis. We hypothesize that enteric glia regulate the expression of neutrophil modulating factors during acute inflammation. We tested this using the acute dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid colitis model. Animal body weight and gross macroscopic damage were recorded as indications of overall inflammation and tissue was harvested for immunohistochemical analysis. Enteric glial cells were labeled with antibodies against Neutrophil cytosolic factor 4 and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5. Results suggest no significant difference in labeling for immunological markers in enteric glial cells of dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid treated mice. Results also show labeling in some neurons that may or may not be specific. Further experimentation is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of enteric neurons and glia in gut inflammation. These studies will contribute to further understand how immune responses are regulated in the gut and impact the general knowledge of gut disease processes. This work was supported by the National Institute of Health grants R01DK103723 and R01DK120862 to BDG and DPR was supported by the National Institute of Health Bridge to the Ph.D. in Neuroscience grant 2R25NS090989.