Galanin - Immunoreactive Nerve Fibers in the Mucosal Layer of the Canine Gastrointestinal Tract During Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

The effect of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the density of galanin -immunoreactive (GAL-IR) nerve fibers was determined in the mucosa of canine duodenum, jejunum, and descending colon. Fiber density was evaluated by a single immunofluorescence method in biopsy specimens obtained from healthy dogs and patients with variable severity of the disease. The density of GAL-IR nerve fibers was determined by the semi-quantitative method by counting fibers in the field of view (0.l mm 2 ). Fiber density was higher in dogs with moderate and severe IBD than in healthy animals. The results of the study suggest that GAL present in intestinal nerve fibers could play a role in the pathogenesis and development of canine IBD.

Influence of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastic on selected active substances in the intramural neurons of the porcine duodenum

“…Galanin exhibits neuroprotective properties and acts as an inhibitory neuromodulator [ 46 ]. An increase in GAL activity has been noted in pigs after long-term supplementation with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug [ 33 ] acrylamide [ 109 ] or in dogs with IBD [ 31 ]. Galanin may affect the motility of the gastrointestinal tract by inhibiting acetylcholine and SP via excitatory GAL-R 1 receptors [ 110 ].…”

“…It consists of ganglia and nerve fibers lying in the wall of the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, bile ducts and gallbladder [ 22 ]. The change in neurotransmitter coding is influenced by a number of factors, including age [ 23 , 24 ], intestinal microbiota [ 25 , 26 ], pathological conditions such as diabetes [ 27 , 28 ] or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [ 29 – 31 ], substances which we take more or less consciously, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [ 32 , 33 ] and bisphenols [ 34 ]. In pigs, which are a model organism in human biomedical research and whose anatomical structure resembles the human anatomical structure in the intestines [ 35 – 38 ] we can distinguish three plexuses: myenteric (MP) and submucous, which is further subdivided into the outer (OSP) and inner (ISP) submucous plexus [ 39 ].…”

Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) in the Intestinal Mucosal Nerve Fibers in Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Clinical symptoms are accompanied by histopathological changes in the small intestine and/or the colon. Recent studies have shown that substances acting as neurotransmitters and/or neuromodulators in the enteric nervous system (ENS) and extrinsic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract could be implicated in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammations [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. However, the exact roles of the majority of active neuronal substances in the pathophysiology of IBD have not been yet elucidated.…”