Changes in chemical coding of myenteric neurones in ulcerative colitis - PubMed (original) (raw)

Changes in chemical coding of myenteric neurones in ulcerative colitis

M Neunlist et al. Gut. 2003 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Morphological and functional changes in the enteric nervous system (ENS) have been reported in inflammatory bowel diseases but it is still uncertain whether neurochemical coding of myenteric neurones is altered in ulcerative colitis (UC).

Aims: In this study we investigated transmitter co-localisation in myenteric neurones of normal colon and the colon of patients with UC.

Methods: Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), neurone specific enolase (NSE), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and substance P (SP) were detected by immunohistochemical methods in whole mounts of colonic myenteric plexus of UC patients (n=10) and controls (n=8).

Results: The proportion of ChAT positive and VIP positive neurones relative to the NSE population did not differ in inflamed (33.3% and 9.3%, respectively) and non-inflamed segments (33.6% and 9.7%) of UC colon compared with controls (35.0% and 6.9%). The proportion of SP positive neurones was significantly larger in both inflamed (15.5%) and non-inflamed (20.3%) segments than in controls (5.9%). Analysis of changes in subpopulations showed that 26.9% of neurones were only ChAT positive in controls but that the proportion was significantly smaller in inflamed (18.8%) and non-inflamed (15.8%) areas of UC. The proportions of neurones containing ChAT and SP were significantly higher in inflamed (11.8%) and non-inflamed (13.9%) areas than in controls (5.0%).

Conclusion: Remodelling of myenteric neurones in UC involves a shift from mainly cholinergic to more SP positive innervation. This effect may constitute part of the neuronal basis for the motility disturbances observed in UC.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Immunohistochemical detection of transmitter coding of human myenteric plexus from control patients. Quadruple labelling with antibodies against neurone specific enolase (NSE), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), substance P (SP), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) performed in a myenteric ganglion showed various subpopulations. A ganglion was labelled with NSE to identify myenteric neurones (A). ChAT neurones (B) formed the largest population identified and were not usually co-localised with SP or VIP (arrowhead). No SP positive neurones (C) and few VIP positive neurones (D) were identified in this ganglion. VIP positive neurones were not co-localised with ChAT or SP (filled arrow). Scale bar: 25 μm.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Immunohistochemical detection of transmitters in the myenteric plexus of patients with ulcerative colitis in non-inflamed areas. Quadruple immunohistochemistry for neurone specific enolase (NSE) (A), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) (B), substance P (SP) (C), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) (D) revealed that a similar proportion of ChAT positive neurones were immunorective for SP (arrow) or did not contain either SP or VIP (arrowhead). In addition, VIP positive neurones were not co-localised with ChAT or SP (filled arrow). Scale bar: 25 μm.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Immunohistochemical detection of transmitters in the myenteric plexus of patients with ulcerative colitis in inflamed areas. Quadruple immunohistochemistry for neurone specific enolase (NSE) (A), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) (B), substance P (SP) (C), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) (D) revealed that a large proportion of ChAT positive neurones were immunorective for SP (arrow). Some ChAT positive neurones did not contain either SP or VIP (arrowhead). In addition, VIP positive neurones were not co-localised with ChAT or SP (filled arrow). Scale bar: 25 μm.

Figure 4

Figure 4

Histogram of the proportion of ChAT/− and ChAT/SP/− myenteric neurones from control and ulcerative colitis patients in non-inflamed and inflamed areas. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 compared with controls. Values are mean (SEM). ChAT, choline acetyltransferase; SP, substance P; NSE, neurone specific enolase.

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