Supplementation with L-glutathione exerted a better neuroprotective effect than L-glutamine and may prevent the development of enteric diabetic neuropathy.

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VEDOVATO, K.; TREVIZAN, A. R.; ZUCOLOTO, C. N.; BERNARDI, M. D. L.; ZANONI, J. N.; MARTINS, J. V. C. P. O eixo intestinocérebro e o papel da serotonina. Arq. Ciênc. Saúde Unipar, Umuarama, v. 18 n. 1, p. 33-42, jan./abr. 2014 RESUMO: Este trabalho teve por finalidade buscar informações na literatura que descrevam a interação entre o sistema nervoso central (SNC) e sistema nervoso entérico (SNE), e que demonstrem de que forma a serotonina pode atuar no "eixo intestino-cérebro". A serotonina (5-hidroxitriptamina, 5-HT) originalmente descoberta em 1937 por Vittorio Erspamer é uma indolamina, encontrada em células do trato gastrointestinal, plaquetas e no sistema nervoso central de mamíferos, sendo que cerca de 95% da 5-HT corpórea é produzida no intestino. De acordo com a literatura o trato gastrointestinal é inervado por cinco diferentes classes de neurônios: neurônios entéricos, aferentes vagal, aferentes da coluna vertebral, eferentes parassimpáticos e eferentes simpáticos. Os alvos primários da 5-HT que é secretado pelas células enteroendócrinas são as projeções intrínsecas constituída por neurônios aferentes primários da mucosa e plexo mientérico, e projeções extrínsecas, constituída por nervos que transmitem sensações gerais além de náuseas e desconforto para o sistema nervoso central. Após os dados compilados da literatura fica claro que o SNE desempenha papel singular, podendo agir de maneira independente, mas também mantém sinapses com o SNC, por meio do nervo vago. Dessa forma, ambos os sistemas podem influenciar a atividade um do outro mediante o "eixo intestino-cérebro". Adicionalmente a 5-HT apresenta-se como um importante neurotransmissor envolvido na interação entre o SNE o SNC, importante na regulação da sensação de motilidade e secreção intestinal e também atua na ativação e condução da informação ao SNC. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Sistema nervoso entérico; Sistema nervoso central; Intestino; Serotonina. THE BRAIN-INTESTINE AXIS AND THE ROLE OF SEROTONINABSTRACT: This paper aims to seek literature information describing the interaction between the central and enteric nervous system, and to demonstrate how serotonin may be acting on the "brain-intestine axis." Serotonin, originally discovered in 1937 by Vittorio Erspamer, is an indoleamine found in cells in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets and in the central nervous system of mammals, with approximately 95% of body 5-HT produced in the intestine. According to literature, the gastrointestinal tract is innervated by five different neuron classes: enteric neurons, vagal afferent, spinal afferent, parasympathetic efferent, and sympathetic efferent. The primary targets of serotonin secreted by entero-endocrine cells are the intrinsic projections composed by primary afferent neurons of the mucosa and myenteric plexus, and extrinsic projections, consisting of nerves that send general sensations as well as nausea and general discomfort to the central nervous system. After the data were compiled from the literature, it is clear that the enteric nervous system p...

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The acute T. gondii infection in the ileum of rats changes the proportion of VIPergic neurons and the epithelial cells, which can compromise the mucosal defense during infection.

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Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, common zoonosis among vertebrates and high incidence worldwide. During the infection, the parasite needs to transpose the intestinal barrier to spread throughout the body, which may be a trigger for an inflammatory reaction. This work evaluated the inflammatory alterations of early T. gondii infection in peripheral blood cells, in the mesenteric microcirculation, and small intestinal tissue by measurement of MPO (myeloperoxidase) activity and NO (nitric oxide) level in rats. Animals were randomly assigned into control group (CG) that received saline orally and groups infected with 5,000 oocysts for 6 (G6), 12 (G12), 24 (G24), 48 (G48) and 72 hours (G72). Blood samples were collected for total and differential leukocyte count. Intravital microscopy was performed in the mesentery to evaluate rolling and adhesion of leukocytes. After euthanasia, 0.5cm of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum were collected for the determination of MPO activity, NO level and PCR to identify the parasite DNA and also the mesentery were collected to perform immunohistochemistry on frozen sections to quantify adhesion molecules ICAM-1, PECAM-1 and P-Selectin. The parasite DNA was identified in all infected groups and there was an increase in leukocytes in the peripheral blood and in expression of ICAM-1 and PECAM-1 in G6 and G12, however, the expression of P-selectin was reduced in G12. Leukocytes are in rolling process during the first 12 hours and they are adhered at 24 hours post-infection. The activity of MPO increased in the duodenum at 12 hours, and NO increased in the jejunum in G72 and ileum in G24, G48 and G72. Our study demonstrated that T. gondii initiates the infection precociously (at 6 hours) leading to a systemic activation of innate immune response resulting in mild inflammation in a less susceptible experimental model.

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of the L-glutamine supplementation to prevent -diabetes induced changes in myenteric neurons and also to verify the effect on the mucosa of the ileum of Wistar rats. The animals were divided in five groups (n = 5): untreated normoglycaemic (UN), normoglycaemic treated with L-glutamine (NG), untreated diabetics (UD), diabetics treated with L-glutamine, starting on the 4 th (DG4) or 45 th day following diabetes induction (DG45). The amino acid was added to the diet at 1%. The density and size of neurons, the metaphasic index in the crypt, the height of the villus, the depth of the crypt and the number of globet cells were determined. There was no difference in the neuronal density and in the cellular body area of the myosin-stained myenteric neurons of groups DG4 and DG45 when compared to group D. The metaphase index and the number of goblet cells showed no significant differences when all groups were compared (P > 0.05). The villi height of groups DG4 and dG45 were 45.5% (P < 0.05) and 32.4% (P > 0.05) higher than those in group ud, respectively. The analyzed crypts showed similar depth for all studied groups.