Necrotizing enterocolitis and C-KIT

Abstract

Background/Purpose: In the gut, C-KIT is important for immune system homeostasis, and C-KIT + cells are known to increase during inflammation. Recently the authors identified that spontaneous intestinal mucosal erosion develops in C-KIT-depleted W W v mice after day 14 of life at a high frequency, whereas genotypically normal litter mates do not. The authors hypothesized that a lack of C-KIT may be implicated in the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Methods: Bowel specimens were taken during surgery or postmortem from nine cases of NEC (mean gestational age, 32.0 weeks), six age-matched cases of enteritis, and 10 age-matched controls. Specimens were formalin fixed, paraffin embedded, and labeled with antibody to C-KIT. The number of C-KIT + cells from five random fields per specimen were compared under light microscopy (200x). Results were expressed as the mean ± SD and compared using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Results: In enteritis, the number of C-KIT + cells in the lamina propria and submucosa was significantly higher than in controls ( P < .01) indicative of their involvement in inflammation. However, in NEC, the number of C-KIT + cells in the lamina propria and submucosa was significantly lower than in controls ( P < .05) despite histological evidence of inflammation. Conclusion: A lack of C-KIT + cells may exert a causal influence on the development of NEC.