1
|
Chen Y, Huang C, Du F, Xiao Z, Qian W, Bai T, Song J, Song Y, Hou X, Zhang L. EphB2 promotes enteric nitrergic hyperinnervation and neurogenic inflammation in DSS-induced chronic colitis in mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 129:111591. [PMID: 38295544 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enteric nervous system (ENS) has been closely associated with the neuro-immune response and is currently considered a reliable target for intestinal inflammation. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) nerves are involved in inflammatory diseases by releasing nitric oxide (NO). EphB2 expression and density of innervation of the mucosal layer are positively correlated with the severity of intestinal inflammatory responses. In this study, we hypothesized that a EphB2-mediated mechanism may regulate enteric immunity through modulation of nNOS nerves. METHODS Firstly, the Western blot (WB) method was employed to quantify EphB2 expression in the intestinal mucosal layer of DSS mice and assess alterations in nerve fiber activation and density. Immunofluorescence (IF) double staining with nNOS and neuronal marker PGP9.5 was conducted to measure nNOS nerve fiber density within the intestinal mucosal layer of mice. Subsequently, in vivo experiments were performed to investigate the inhibitory or activatory effect of EphB2Fc or EphrinB2Fc on EphB2 expression and activation. Immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed the interaction between EphB2 and nNOS nerves. WB and IF experiments were carried out to evaluate both inflammatory conditions of mouse colonic mucosa following intervention with EphB2Fc/EphrinB2Fc as well as changes in nNOS nerve fibers expression. Finally, in vitro experiments, neurally-mediated inflammation was assessed in the organ bath system by activating intestinal mucosal innervation through Veratridine (VER) and electrical field stimulation (EFS) techniques for 3 h. The activation of nNOS nerves was inhibited by nitroindazole (7NI). WB was employed to detect changes in the expression of inflammatory factors in the intestinal mucosal layer in EphB2Fc/EphrinB2Fc treated mice and control group. KEY RESULTS We found that the expression of EphB2 and density nNOS nerve fibers in the intestinal mucosa were positively correlated with the colitis response. Blocking (EphB2Fc)/activating (EphrinB2Fc) EphB2 in vivo significantly reduced/increased the density of nNOS nerve fibers and expression of inflammatory factors in colonic mucosa of DSS treated mice. In vitro, blocking nNOS nerves activation attenuated the inflammatory reaction induced by either EFS or EphB2. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provided evidence that EphB2 mediated regulation of innate immunity-ENS crosstalk might represent an attractive target for novel therapeutic strategies in ulcerative colitis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuhua Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; Hubei Clinical Center & Key Lab of Intestinal & Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Chao Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Department of Endoscopy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China
| | - Fan Du
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Zhuanglong Xiao
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Wei Qian
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Tao Bai
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Jun Song
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Yuhu Song
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Xiaohua Hou
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
| | - Lei Zhang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
do Carmo Neto JR, Braga YLL, da Costa AWF, Lucio FH, do Nascimento TC, dos Reis MA, Celes MRN, de Oliveira FA, Machado JR, da Silva MV. Biomarkers and Their Possible Functions in the Intestinal Microenvironment of Chagasic Megacolon: An Overview of the (Neuro)inflammatory Process. J Immunol Res 2021; 2021:6668739. [PMID: 33928170 PMCID: PMC8049798 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6668739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The association between inflammatory processes and intestinal neuronal destruction during the progression of Chagasic megacolon is well established. However, many other components play essential roles, both in the long-term progression and control of the clinical status of patients infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Components such as neuronal subpopulations, enteric glial cells, mast cells and their proteases, and homeostasis-related proteins from several organic systems (serotonin and galectins) are differentially involved in the progression of Chagasic megacolon. This review is aimed at revealing the characteristics of the intestinal microenvironment found in Chagasic megacolon by using different types of already used biomarkers. Information regarding these components may provide new therapeutic alternatives and improve the understanding of the association between T. cruzi infection and immune, endocrine, and neurological system changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José Rodrigues do Carmo Neto
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Yarlla Loyane Lira Braga
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Arthur Wilson Florêncio da Costa
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Hélia Lucio
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Thais Cardoso do Nascimento
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Marlene Antônia dos Reis
- Department of General Pathology, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mara Rubia Nunes Celes
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Flávia Aparecida de Oliveira
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Juliana Reis Machado
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
- Department of General Pathology, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marcos Vinícius da Silva
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Biological and Natural Sciences, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Oda JY, Belém MO, Carlos TM, Gouveia R, Luchetti BFC, Moreira NM, Massocatto CL, Araújo SM, Sant Ana DMG, Buttow NC, Pinge-Filho P, Araújo EJA. Myenteric neuroprotective role of aspirin in acute and chronic experimental infections with Trypanosoma cruzi. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017; 29:1-13. [PMID: 28524628 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.13102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Experimental and clinical studies have shown that myenteric neuron cell death during infection with Trypanosoma cruzi mainly occurs in the esophagus and colon, resulting in megaesophagus and megacolon, respectively. Evidence suggests that the cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX) is involved in the T. cruzi invasion process. The use of low-dose aspirin (ASA), a COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor, has been shown to reduce infection with T. cruzi. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effects of treatment with low-dose ASA on myenteric colonic neurons during murine infection with T. cruzi. METHODS Swiss mice were assigned into groups treated with either phosphate-buffered saline or low doses of ASA during the acute phase (20 mg/kg ASA) and chronic phase (50 mg/kg ASA) of infection with the Y strain of T. cruzi. Seventy-five days after infection, colon samples were collected to quantify inflammatory foci in histological sections and also general (myosin-V+ ), nitrergic, and VIPergic myenteric neurons in whole mounts. Gastrointestinal transit time was also measured. KEY RESULTS Aspirin treatment during the acute phase of infection reduced parasitemia (P<.05). Aspirin treatment during the acute or chronic phase of the infection reduced the intensity of inflammatory foci in the colon, protected myenteric neurons from cell death and plastic changes, and recovered the gastrointestinal transit of mice infected with T. cruzi (P<.05). CONCLUSION & INFERENCES Early and delayed treatment with low-dose ASA can reduce the morphofunctional damage of colonic myenteric neurons caused by murine T. cruzi infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Y Oda
- Department of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.,Department of Pathological Science, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - M O Belém
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - T M Carlos
- Department of Histology, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - R Gouveia
- Department of Histology, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - B F C Luchetti
- Department of Pathological Science, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - N M Moreira
- Center for Education, Letters and Health, State University of Western Paraná, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
| | - C L Massocatto
- Department of Morphological Science, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - S M Araújo
- Department of Basic Health Science, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - D M G Sant Ana
- Department of Morphological Science, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - N C Buttow
- Department of Morphological Science, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - P Pinge-Filho
- Department of Pathological Science, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - E J A Araújo
- Department of Histology, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dutra WO, Menezes CAS, Magalhães LMD, Gollob KJ. Immunoregulatory networks in human Chagas disease. Parasite Immunol 2014; 36:377-87. [PMID: 24611805 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2013] [Accepted: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by the infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in all Latin America. Due to the increase in population migration, Chagas disease has spread worldwide and is now considered a health issue not only in endemic countries. While most chronically infected individuals remain asymptomatic, approximately 30% of the patients develop a potentially deadly cardiomyopathy. The exact mechanisms that underlie the establishment and maintenance of the cardiac pathology are not clear. However, there is consistent evidence that immunoregulatory cytokines are critical for orchestrating the immune response and thus influence disease development or control. While the asymptomatic (indeterminate) form represents a state of balance between the host and the parasite, the establishment of the cardiac form represents the loss of this balance. Analysis of data obtained from several studies has led to the hypothesis that the indeterminate form is associated with an anti-inflammatory cytokine profile, represented by high expression of IL-10, while cardiac form is associated with a high production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in relation to IL-10, leading to an inflammatory profile. Here, we discuss the immunoregulatory events that might influence disease outcome, as well as the mechanisms that influence the establishment of these complex immunoregulatory networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W O Dutra
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia - Doenças Tropicais - INCT-DT, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Megacolon, the irreversible dilation of a colonic segment, is a structural sign associated with various gastrointestinal disorders. In its hereditary, secondary form (e.g. in Hirschsprung's disease), dilation occurs in an originally healthy colonic segment due to an anally located, aganglionic zone. In contrast, in chronic Chagas' disease, the dilated segment itself displays pathohistological changes, and the earliest and most prominent being found was massive loss of myenteric neurons. This neuron loss was partial and selective, i.e. some neurons containing neuronal nitric oxide synthase and/or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were spared from neuron death. This disproportionate survival of inhibitory neurons, however, did not completely correlate with the calibre change along the surgically removed, megacolonic segments. A better correlation was observed as to potentially contractile muscle tissue elements and the interstitial cells of Cajal. Therefore, the decreased densities of α-smooth muscle actin- and c-kit-immunoreactive profiles were estimated along resected megacolonic segments. Their lowest values were observed in the megacolonic zones itself, whereas less pronounced decreases were found in the non-dilated, transitional zones (oral and anal to dilation). In contrast to the myenteric plexus, the submucosal plexus displayed only a moderate neuron loss. Neurons co-immunoreactive for VIP and calretinin survived disproportionately. As a consequence, these neurons may have contributed to maintain the epithelial barrier and allowed the chagasic patients to survive for decades, despite their severe disturbance of colonic motility. Due to its neuroprotective and neuroeffectory functions, VIP may play a key role in the development and duration of chagasic megacolon.
Collapse
|
6
|
Jabari S, da Silveira ABM, de Oliveira EC, Quint K, Wirries A, Neuhuber W, Brehmer A. Mucosal layers and related nerve fibres in non-chagasic and chagasic human colon--a quantitative immunohistochemical study. Cell Tissue Res 2014; 358:75-83. [PMID: 24962547 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-014-1934-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chagasic megacolon is accompanied by extensive myenteric and, simultaneously, moderate submucosal neuron loss. Here, we examined changes of the innervation pattern of the lamina propria (LP) and muscularis mucosae (MM). Two alternating sets of cryosections were taken from seven non-chagasic colonic and seven chagasic megacolonic specimens (the latter included both the dilated megacolonic and the non-dilated transitional oral and anal zones) and were immunohistochemically triple-stained for smooth-muscle actin (SMA), synaptophysin (SYN) and glial acid protein S100 and, alternatively, for SMA, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and somatostatin (SOM). Subsequent image analysis and statistical evaluation of nervous tissue profile areas revealed that, in LP, the most extreme differences (i.e. increase in thickness or decrease in nerve, glia and muscle tissue profile area, respectively) compared with control values occurred in the dilated megacolonic zone itself. In contrast, the most extreme differences in the MM were in the anal-to-megacolonic zone (except the profile area of muscle tissue, which was lowest in the megacolonic zone). This parallels our previous results in the external muscle coat. A partial and selective survival of VIP-immunoreactive in contrast to SOM-immunoreactive nerve fibres was observed in both mucosal layers investigated. Thus, VIPergic nerve elements might be crucial for the maintenance of the mucosal barrier. The differential changes of neural tissue parameters in LP and MM might reflect a multifactorial rather than a pure neurogenic development of megacolon in chronic Chagas' disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samir Jabari
- Institute of Anatomy I, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstrasse 9, 91054, Erlangen, Germany,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Beuscher N, Jabari S, Strehl J, Neuhuber W, Brehmer A. What neurons hide behind calretinin immunoreactivity in the human gut? Histochem Cell Biol 2013; 141:393-405. [PMID: 24203089 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-013-1163-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Calretinin (CALR) is often used as an immunohistochemical marker for the histopathological diagnosis of human intestinal neuropathies. However, little is known about its distribution pattern with respect to specific human enteric neuron types. Prior studies revealed CALR in both myenteric and submucosal neurons, most of which colabel with choline acetyl transferase (ChAT). Here, we specified the chemical code of CALR-positive neurons in small and large intestinal wholemounts in a series of 28 patients. Besides other markers, we evaluated the labeling pattern of CALR in combination with vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In colonic submucosa, CALR and VIP were almost completely colocalized in about three-quarters of all submucosal neurons. In the small intestinal submucosa, both the colocalization rate of CALR and VIP as well as the proportion of these neurons were lower (about one-third). In the myenteric plexus of both small intestine and colon, CALR amounted to 11 and 10 %, respectively, whereas VIP to 5 and 4 % of the whole neuron population, respectively. Colocalization of both markers was found in only 2 and 3 % of myenteric neurons, respectively. In section specimens, nerve fibers coreactive for CALR and VIP were found in the mucosa but not in the muscle coat. Summarizing the present and earlier results, CALR was found in at least one submucosal and two myenteric neuron populations. Submucosal CALR+/VIP+/ChAT± neurons innervate mucosal structures. Furthermore, CALR immunoreactivity in the myenteric plexus was observed in morphological type II (supposed primary afferent) and spiny type I (supposed inter- or motor-) neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Beuscher
- Institute of Anatomy I, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstraße 9, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Knowles CH, Lindberg G, Panza E, De Giorgio R. New perspectives in the diagnosis and management of enteric neuropathies. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2013; 10:206-18. [PMID: 23399525 DOI: 10.1038/nrgastro.2013.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chronic disturbances of gastrointestinal function encompass a wide spectrum of clinical disorders that range from common conditions with mild-to-moderate symptoms to rare diseases characterized by a severe impairment of digestive function, including chronic pain, vomiting, bloating and severe constipation. Patients at the clinically severe end of the spectrum can have profound changes in gut transit and motility. In a subset of these patients, histopathological analyses have revealed abnormalities of the gut innervation, including the enteric nervous system, termed enteric neuropathies. This Review discusses advances in the diagnosis and management of the main clinical entities--achalasia, gastroparesis, intestinal pseudo-obstruction and chronic constipation--that result from enteric neuropathies, including both primary and secondary forms. We focus on the various evident neuropathologies (degenerative and inflammatory) of these disorders and, where possible, present the specific implications of histological diagnosis to contemporary treatment. This knowledge could enable the future development of novel targeted therapeutic approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles H Knowles
- Centre for Digestive Diseases, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Substance P- and choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivities in somatostatin-containing, human submucosal neurons. Histochem Cell Biol 2013; 140:157-67. [PMID: 23361835 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-013-1078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The submucous layers of human small and large intestines contain at least two separate neuron populations. Besides morphological features, they differ in their immunoreactivities for calretinin (CALR) and somatostatin (SOM), respectively. In this study, submucosal wholemounts of 23 patients or body donors (including all segments of small intestine and colon) were immunohistochemically quadruple stained for CALR and SOM as well as for substance P (SP) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). We found that all SOM-positive neurons co-stained for ChAT and the majority for SP [between 50% in the small intestinal external submucosal plexus (ESP) and 75% in the colonic ESP]. In contrast, a majority of CALR-neurons contained ChAT (between 77% in the small intestinal ESP and 92% in the large intestinal ESP) whereas less than 4% of CALR-neurons were co-immunoreactive for SP. Another set of wholemounts was co-stained for peripherin, a marker enabling morphological analysis. Where identifiable, both SOM alone- and SOM/SP-neurons displayed a uniaxonal (supposed pseudouniaxonal) morphology. We suggest that the chemical code of SOM-immunoreactive, human submucosal neurons may be "ChAT+/SOM+/SP±". In additional sections double stained for SOM and SP, we regularly found double-labelled nerve fibres only in the mucosa. In contrast, around submucosal arteries mostly SOM alone- fibres were found and the muscularis propria contained numerous SP-alone fibres. We conclude that the main target of submucosal SOM(/SP)-neurons may be the mucosa. Due to their morpho-chemical similarity to human myenteric type II neurons, we further suggest that one function of human submucosal SOM-neurons may be a primary afferent one.
Collapse
|