In tissues from Crohn's disease patients, the density of interstitial cells of Cajal was reduced throughout the tunica muscularis in comparison to control small intestines. The disturbance of intestinal motility that occurs in patients with Crohn's disease may be a consequence of the loss of or defects in specific populations of interstitial cells of Cajal within the tunica muscularis.
Environmental air pollutants including ozone cause severe lung injury and aggravate respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. Here we compared the effect of ozone on respiratory epithelium injury, inflammation, hyperreactivity and airway remodeling in mice upon acute (1ppm, 1 h) and chronic exposure (1.5ppm, 2 h, twice weekly for 6 weeks). Acute ozone exposure caused respiratory epithelial disruption with protein leak and neutrophil recruitment in the broncho-alveolar space, leading to lung inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine. All these parameters were increased upon chronic ozone exposure, including collagen deposition. The structure of the airways as assessed by automatic numerical image analysis showed significant differences: While acute ozone exposure increased bronchial and lumen circularity but decreased epithelial thickness and area, chronic ozone exposure revealed epithelial injury with reduced height, distended bronchioles, enlarged alveolar space and increased collagen deposition, indicative of peribronchiolar fibrosis and emphysema as characterized by a significant increase in the density and diameter of airspaces with decreased airspace numbers. In conclusion, morphometric numerical analysis enables an automatic and unbiased assessment of small airway remodeling. The structural changes of the small airways correlated with functional changes allowing to follow the progression from acute to chronic ozone induced respiratory pathology.
* a report of t 4 -the transatlantic think tank for toxicology, a collaboration of the toxicologically oriented chairs in Baltimore, Konstanz and Utrecht sponsored by the Doerenkamp-Zbinden Foundation; participants do not represent their institutions and do not necessarily endorse all recommendations made.Disclaimer: This document has been reviewed by the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Summary High content imaging combines automated microscopy with image analysis approaches to simultaneously quantify multiple phenotypic and/or functional parameters in biological systems. The technology has become an important tool in the fields of safety sciences and drug discovery, because it can be used for mode-of-action identification, determination of hazard potency and the discovery of toxicity targets and biomarkers. In contrast to conventional biochemical endpoints, high content imaging provides insight into the spatial distribution and dynamics of responses in biological systems
SUMMARY1. Intracellular recordings were obtained from cells in vitro in the inferior mesenteric ganglia of the cat.2. Neurones could be classified into three types: non-spontaneous, irregular discharging and regular discharging neurones.3. Non-spontaneous neurones had a stable resting membrane potential and responded with action potentials to indirect preganglionic nerve stimulation and to intracellular injection of depolarizing current.4. Irregular discharging neurones were characterized by a discharge of excitatory post-synaptic potentials (e.p.s.p.s) which sometimes gave rise to action potentials. This activity was abolished by hexamethonium bromide, chlorisondamine and d-tubocurarine chloride. Tetrodotoxin and a low Ca2+-high Mg2+ solution also blocked on-going activity in irregular discharging neurones.5. Regular discharging neurones were characterized by a rhythmic discharge of action potentials. Each action potential was preceded by a gradual depolarization of the intracellularly recorded membrane potential. Intracellular injection of hyperpolarizing current abolished the regular discharge of action potential. No synaptic potentials were observed during hyperpolarization of the membrane potential.6. Nicotinic, muscarinic and adrenergic receptor blocking drugs did not modify the discharge of action potentials in regular discharging neurones. A low Ca2+-high Mg2+ solution also had no effect on the regular discharge of action potentials.7. Interpolation of an action potential between spontaneous action potentials in regular discharging neurones reset the rhythm of discharge.8. It is suggested that regular discharging neurones were endogenously active and that these neurones provided synaptic input to irregular discharging neurones.
Although a number of pharmacological studies have shown the involvement of tachykinin type 2 receptors (NK2r) in the regulation of human colonic motility, few data are available so far on their pattern of expression. In this study this pattern was investigated in the myenteric plexuses, the longitudinal and circular muscle layers (external muscular layers), and the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) using confocal microscopy immunofluorescence methods. NK2r immunoreactivity (NK2r-IR) was detected in the soma of myenteric neurons and in nerve varicosities located in myenteric plexuses as well as in external muscular layers. Colocalization analysis of NK2r-IR and synaptophysin-IR, showed significant regional differences in the distribution of NK2r-expressing nerve varicosities, the rate of occurrence was found to be 56.08% +/- 3% (mean +/- SE) in the external muscular layers and 30.22% +/- 1% (mean +/- SE) in the myenteric plexuses. NK2r-IR was found in membranes of most muscle cells previously incubated with a selective NK2r agonist, [beta-Ala(8)] neurokinin A fragment 4-10, at 4 degrees C, and then mainly relocated in the cytoplasm when heated to 37 degrees C. A number of NK2r-IR nerve varicosities were close to NK2r-expressing neurons and muscle cells. Some of NK2r-expressing neurons and nerves were tachykinin-IR. No NK2r-IR was detected in ICCs. The present data indicate that presynaptic and postsynaptic neuroneuronal and neuromuscular regulatory processes mediated by tachykinins via NK2r may occur for modulating human colonic motility.
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