Abstract
The enteric nervous system (ENS), localized in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, regulates the functions of the intestine using a wide range of neuronally-active substances. One of them is the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), whose participation in pathological states in the large intestine remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of inflammation and nerve damage using a double immunofluorescence technique to neurochemically characterize CGRP-positive enteric nervous structures in the porcine descending colon. Both pathological factors caused an increase in the percentage of CGRP-positive enteric neurons, and these changes were the most visible in the myenteric plexus after nerve damage. Moreover, both pathological states change the degree of co-localization of CGRP with other neurochemical factors, including substance P, the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase, galanin, cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide and vesicular acetylcholine transporter. The character and severity of these changes depended on the pathological factor and the type of enteric plexus. The obtained results show that CGRP-positive enteric neurons are varied in terms of neurochemical characterization and take part in adaptive processes in the descending colon during inflammation and after nerve damage.
Highlights
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is supplied by extrinsic and intrinsic innervations
This substance was present in all types of enteric plexuses, i.e., in the myenteric plexus (MP) (Figure 2Ia), the outer submucous plexus (OSP) (Figure 2IIa) and in the inner submucous plexus (ISP) (Figure 2IIIa), as well as in the intraganglionic, intramuscular (Figure 2IVa) and intramucosal (Figure 2Va) nerve fibers
After adaptive periods, the pigs were randomly divided into four experimental groups: control (C group) without any surgical operations, control 1 (C1 group), where “sham” operations were performed, inflammatory group (I group), where colitis was induced chemically and the axotomy group (A group) composed of animals subjected to damage of nerves supplying the descending colon
Summary
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is supplied by extrinsic and intrinsic innervations. These include:(1) sympathetic postganglionic nerve fibers, which are the processes of neurons located within the prevertebral ganglia (such as the celiac, superior mesenteric and inferior mesenteric ganglia) and the ganglia of the sympathetic trunk [1]; (2) parasympathetic innervation, which derives from the dorsal nucleus of the vagal nerve and the parasympathetic nuclei of the sacral spinal cord [2]; and (3) sensory afferent nerves, which are the processes of neurons located in the sensory ganglia of the vagal nerve and the dorsal root ganglia [3,4,5].Intrinsic innervation of the GI tract is comprised of the enteric nervous system (ENS) located in the wall of the esophagus, stomach and intestine (Figure 1). The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is supplied by extrinsic and intrinsic innervations. Intrinsic innervation of the GI tract is comprised of the enteric nervous system (ENS) located in the wall of the esophagus, stomach and intestine (Figure 1). The ENS is built of millions of neurons and is distinguished by considerable independence from the central nervous system. It is often called the “second” or “intestinal brain” [6,7]. In the esophagus and stomach, enteric neurons are grouped into two ganglionated plexuses: the myenteric plexus (MP), situated between the longitudinal and circular
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