Proliferative Enteropathy (PE)—Induced Changes in the Calbindin-Immunoreactive (CB-IR) Neurons of Inferior Mesenteric Ganglion Supplying the Descending Colon in the Pig

Abstract

A subpopulation of the pig inferior mesenteric ganglia (IMG) neurons projecting to the colon exhibit calbindin-like immunoreactivity. It is not known if there are any changes in the chemical coding patterns of these neurons during porcine proliferative enteropathy (PE). To answer this question, juvenile Large White Polish pigs with clinically diagnosed Lawsonia intracellularis infection (PE; n = 3) and a group of uninfected controls (C; n = 3) were compared. The retrograde tracer fast blue (FB) was injected into the descending colons of all animals and then tissue comprising IMGs from both groups was processed for double-labeling immunofluorescence with calbindin-D28k (CB) in combination with either tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin (SOM), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), nitric oxide synthase, Leu-enkephalin, substance P, vesicular acetylcholine transporter, galanin, or pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide. Immunohistochemistry revealed changes in the chemical coding pattern of calbindin-immunoreactive neurons in the inferior mesenteric ganglia of the pig. In control animals, FB/CB-positive neurons were immunoreactive to TH, NPY, SOM, and VIP. In the experimental group, TH-expressing neurons were unaffected, NPY-expressing neurons were increased, whereas the number of neurons immunoreactive to SOM or VIP was reduced. Changes in chemical coding of CB neurons during PE may play an important role in adaptation of these IMG cells under pathological conditions.

The Influence of Low Doses of Zearalenone and T-2 Toxin on Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide-Like Immunoreactive (CGRP-LI) Neurons in the ENS of the Porcine Descending Colon

“…Two facts confirm this supposition. Firstly, it is well known that the expression of neuroprotective factors in the ENS increases during pathological processes [5,6,42,43], and the growth of CGRP-like immunoreactivity has been observed during both the present study and in previous investigations on other fragments of the digestive tract [44]. Secondly, CGRP affects the release of nitric oxide, whose neuroprotective activity is relatively well surveyed [45,46,47].…”

Neurochemical characterization of intramural nerve fibres in the porcine oesophagus

“…One not fully elucidated problem is the participation of neuronal substances in pathological processes. Contrary to the stomach and intestine, where reactions of the ENS to various diseases are relatively well known (Gonkowski, Burlinski et al., ; Wojtkiewicz et al., , ), the knowledge of the contribution of oesophageal neurons in adaptive and/or neuroprotective processes under pathological factors is rather scanty. As acknowledged, previous studies have described changes in the expression of various neuronal active substances within oesophageal nervous structures during different diseases, including reflux disease (Xu et al., ), meso‐oesophagus (Nascimento et al., ), as well as oesophageal stenosis (Singaram, Sweet, Gaumnitz, Cameron, & Camilleri, ) and atresia (Cheng, Bishop, Spitz, & Polak, ), but the exact mechanisms of these changes remain unknown.…”

“…Enteric neurons are involved in all aspects of the GI tract physiology, such as intestinal motility, blood flow, nutrient absorption and the exudation of digestive enzymes (Furness et al., ). Moreover, it is relatively well established that they also take part in the intestinal and extraintestinal pathological processes by participating in neuroprotective and adaptive reactions in response to disturbances in homeostasis (Gonkowski, ; Vasina et al., ; Wojtkiewicz et al., ). Neurons innervating the GI tract exhibit significant differentiation in morphology, physiology and electrophysiological properties (Dong, Jiang, Srinivasan, & Mittal, ).…”

Protective Intestinal Effects of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide

“…The number of PACAP-containing perikarya also increased in all cases in the myenteric and submucosal plexus, except for the outer submucosal plexus in case of axotomy-induced pathology. In another study, Wojtkiewicz et al [ 83 ] described infl ammation-induced changes in the neurochemical composition of the inferior mesenteric ganglia supplying the lower portion of the colon in pigs. Although PACAP was not investigated, they found that the number of VIP immunoreactive neurons was reduced in proliferative enteropathy.…”