Age-related changes in the gastrointestinal tract: a functional and immunohistochemical study in guinea-pig ileum

Abalo, Raquel; Vera, Gema; Rivera, Antonio José; Martı́n, Marı́a Isabel

doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2007.04.004

Cited by 23 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Electron microscopy has also shown degenerating nerve fibres in aging rat small intestine (Feher and Penzes 1987). Accumulation of lipofuscin has been described in aging enteric neurons in both rats (Corns et al 2002) (Phillips et al 2004) and guinea-pigs (Abalo et al 2005, 2007). Further evidence for enteric neurodegeneration during aging comes from recent studies that have shown α-synuclein-immunoreactive aggregates and, in the proximal small intestine, hyper-phosphorlylated Tau in some myenteric neurons in aging Fischer 344 rats (Phillips et al 2009).…”

Section: Aging Of the Cells Of The Enteric Nervous Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aging of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract: a complex organ system

Saffrey

2013

AGE

119

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Gastrointestinal disorders are a major cause of morbidity in the elderly population. The gastrointestinal tract is the most complex organ system; its diverse cells perform a range of functions essential to life, not only secretion, digestion, absorption and excretion, but also, very importantly, defence. The gastrointestinal tract acts not only as a barrier to harmful materials and pathogens but also contains the vast number of beneficial bacterial populations that make up the microbiota. Communication between the cells of the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous and endocrine systems modifies behaviour; the organisms of the microbiota also contribute to this brain–gut–enteric microbiota axis. Age-related physiological changes in the gut are not only common, but also variable, and likely to be influenced by external factors as well as intrinsic aging of the cells involved. The cellular and molecular changes exhibited by the aging gut cells also vary. Aging intestinal smooth muscle cells exhibit a number of changes in the signalling pathways that regulate contraction. There is some evidence for age-associated degeneration of neurons and glia of the enteric nervous system, although enteric neuronal losses are likely not to be nearly as extensive as previously believed. Aging enteric neurons have been shown to exhibit a senescence-associated phenotype. Epithelial stem cells exhibit increased mitochondrial mutation in aging that affects their progeny in the mucosal epithelium. Changes to the microbiota and intestinal immune system during aging are likely to contribute to wider aging of the organism and are increasingly important areas of analysis. How changes of the different cell types of the gut during aging affect the numerous cellular interactions that are essential for normal gut functions will be important areas for future aging research.

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Section: Aging Of the Cells Of The Enteric Nervous Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aging of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract: a complex organ system

Saffrey

2013

AGE

119

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“…Abalo et al. 18 have also reported increased force of contraction of longitudinal muscle in aged guinea‐pig ileum, despite neuronal losses. Additional work is needed to establish if smooth muscle contractility is similarly affected in aged rat ileum.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effects of aging on cholinergic neuromuscular transmission in isolated small intestine of ad libitum fed and calorically‐restricted rats

Hoyle

Saffrey

2012

Neurogastroenterology Motil

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Background Age‐associated losses of enteric neurons have been described. In rat ileum, myenteric neurons lost during aging have been reported to be predominantly cholinergic, and caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to protect against these losses. Cholinergic myenteric neurons include excitatory motor neurons, so the aim of this work was to determine whether neuronal loss in ad libitum (AL)‐fed animals is reflected in dysfunctional cholinergic neuromuscular transmission, and if CR reduces any such dysfunction. Methods Effects of electrical field stimulation (EFS) and applied acetylcholine (ACh) were examined in the longitudinal muscle of isolated ileal segments from 6‐month‐old rats and from 13‐ and 24‐month‐old rats fed either AL or CR diets. Key Results Contractile responses to EFS were abolished by atropine and potentiated by the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, eserine. Frequency‐response relationships were not significantly different amongst the three age‐groups. Sensitivity to applied ACh, however, was three‐fold lower in the oldest animals (P < 0.05). Eserine potentiated responses to ACh; there were no statistically significant differences amongst the sensitivities to ACh in its presence. No significant differences between AL‐ and CR‐fed animals were measured, although variability was less in CR‐fed than in AL‐fed groups. Conclusions & Inferences The cholinergic system supplying the rat ileum longitudinal muscle did not appear to be impaired in old age. Decreased sensitivity to applied ACh in old tissues may have been due to increased acetylcholinesterase activity. Caloric restriction had no significant effect on responses to EFS or applied ACh. The implications of these results are discussed.

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“…The only study we could find evaluating age-related, functional changes in the innervation with Sub P was performed in the longitudinal muscle of guinea pig ileum; this study showed an increase in the excitatory response to exogenous Sub P in older animals which was paralleled, interestingly, by an age-dependent decrease in the innervation of the longitudinal muscle layer by excitatory motor neurons (Abalo et al, 2007). These results differ from our study but were performed in a different species and in a different anatomic region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most other studies have explored the response to EFS or exogenously applied drugs but have not evaluated spontaneous contractile activity. Only one study implied a similar phenomenon in the ileal longitudinal muscle of the guinea pig, but there was no specific analysis of changes in spontaneous contractile activity (Abalo et al, 2007). We cannot exclude an effect of age-related changes in muscle volume on our results; however, we attempted to control for this by normalizing the contractile data by the weight of the muscle strips.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age-related changes in functional NANC innervation with VIP and substance P in the jejunum of Lewis rats

Kasparek¹,

Fatima

Iqbal

et al. 2009

Autonomic Neuroscience

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Age-related changes in non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) neurotransmission might contribute to differences in gastrointestinal motility. Our aim was to determine age-related changes in functional innervation with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and substance P (Sub P) in rat jejunum. We hypothesized that maturation causes changes in neurotransmission with these two neuropeptides. Longitudinal and circular jejunal muscle strips from young (3 months) and middleaged (15 months) rats (total: 24 rats) were studied; the response to exogenous VIP and Sub P and the effect of their endogenous release from the enteric nervous system during electrical field stimulation (EFS) were evaluated. In longitudinal muscle, response to exogenous VIP and endogenously released VIP during EFS were increased in middle-aged rats, while the effect of endogenously released Sub P was decreased. In the circular muscle, the response to endogenously released VIP was increased in middle-aged rats, while the effects of exogenous VIP and endogenously released Sub P were unchanged. Response to exogenous Sub P was unaffected by maturation in both muscle layers. Spontaneous contractile activity was increased in the longitudinal and circular muscle of the older rats. In the jejunum of middle-aged rats, participation of VIP in functional NANC innervation was increased, while functional innervation with Sub P was decreased. These changes in the balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission occur during the year of maturation in rats and demonstrate an age-dependant plasticity of neuromuscular bowel function.

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Age-related changes in the gastrointestinal tract: a functional and immunohistochemical study in guinea-pig ileum

Cited by 23 publications

References 44 publications

Aging of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract: a complex organ system

Aging of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract: a complex organ system

Effects of aging on cholinergic neuromuscular transmission in isolated small intestine of ad libitum fed and calorically‐restricted rats

Age-related changes in functional NANC innervation with VIP and substance P in the jejunum of Lewis rats

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