Effect of preservation conditions on autonomic transmission in rat small bowel

Impact of prenatal and postnatal exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos on the contraction of rat ileal muscle strips: involvement of an inducible nitric oxide synthase-dependent pathway

BACKGROUND

Prenatal/postnatal exposure to insecticides has been linked to developmental disorders in adulthood. Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widely used organophosphorus acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibiting insecticide. The present study established whether prenatal and postnatal exposure to CPF is associated with intestinal motor dysfunction in adult rats.

METHODS

Three groups of pregnant rats were exposed to either CPF (1 or 5 mg/kg/day; the CPF1 and CPF5 groups) or vehicle (the control group) by gavage from gestational day 1 until weaning. At weaning, the pups were separated from their dams and individually gavaged (with the same dose) until postnatal day 60. We then measured in vivo intestinal transit and the in vitro contractile responses of ileal smooth muscle strips to electrical field stimulation. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the ileum was determined using qRT-PCR and immunoblots. Morphometry and AChE assays were also performed.

KEY RESULTS

At adulthood, the mean body mass was lower in the CPF1 and CPF5 groups than in controls. CPF5 exposure was associated with weaker in vitro contraction of ileal muscle strips, which was reversed by adding the NOS inhibitor (L-NAME). There was no significant intergroup difference in the mean in vivo transit time. Exposure to CPF was associated with greater iNOS expression, lower AChE activity and reduced circular and longitudinal smooth muscle thickness.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

Prenatal and postnatal exposure to CPF in the rat is associated with weaker contraction of ileal longitudinal smooth muscle via a nitrergic mechanism with increased iNOS expression.

Two opposite dose-dependent effects of diazinon on the motor activity of the rat ileum

Acute poisoning with OPs may lead to a range of neurological effects, which cannot be explained by AChE inhibition alone. Several OPs interact directly with cholinergic receptors in mammals, but such data does not exist for invertebrates. The aim of current study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of diazinon on the contractions of rat ileum and to compare those effects on the nervemuscle preparation of the Ascaris suum. In the presence of increasing concentrations of diazinon (3, 10 and 30nM), EFS-induced ileal contractions were increased significantly. In the same preparation, diazinon 3nM, significantly increased contractions induced by EFS, but did not affect the contractions caused by 5MFI. Contrarily, 1μM of diazinon significantly and reversibly inhibited the EFS-induced ileal contractions. Diazinon exhibited competitive and non-competitive inhibitions of 5MFI induced contractions. The control EC₅₀ of 5MFI was 2.48μM with R_max=1.88g. In the presence of diazinon, EC₅₀ was 12.45μM, while R_max was reduced to 0.43g. After washing, the EC₅₀ and R_max values were again closer to the control level (3.80μM and 1.04g). Diazinon 1μM did not inhibit Ascaris suum contractions caused by ACh, but it increased the R_max. Diazinon in our study exhibits two opposite effects on the motor activity of the ileum. In low nanomolar concentrations the dominat is its effect on AChE and the stimulation of contractions. Furthermore, in concentrations that approach micromolar values diazinon has a direct inhibitory effect on muscarinic receptors. The direct inhibitory effect of diazinon on A. suum contractions was not found.

Effect of ischemic preconditioning on injuries caused by ischemia and reperfusion in rat intestine

To study whether ischemic preconditioning (IPC) attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), rats were underwent 60 minutes of I which was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery, and/or 120 minutes R. The IPC group had the I procedure previously stimulated for 5 minutes and the R for 10 minutes. IPC and sham groups were injected with saline solution (SS) via the femoral vein 5 minutes before the I and R, and for R. After I or I/R, 2-cm jejunal segments were mounted in an organ bath to study neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for optical microscopy. Compared with the sham group, jejunal contractions were similar in the IPC + I and the IPC + I/R groups, but reduced in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups. The jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups, but not in the IPC groups. These results suggested that ischemic preconditioning attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by I and I/R.

Study of L-arginine in intestinal lesions caused by ischemia-reperfusion in rats

To examine whether treatment with L-arginine (ARG), a substrate of nitric oxide biosynthesis, attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), we treated rats with ARG (100 mg/kg intravenously) or saline solution (SS) before 60 minutes of I produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery and/or during 120 minutes of R. After I or I/R, we isolated 2-cm jejunal segments for mounting in an organ bath to study neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl with the use of a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for optical microscopy. Jejunal contractions were similar in the sham and I+ARG, but reduced in I+SS, I/R+SS, and I/R+ARG groups. Jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in I+SS, IR+SS, and IR+ARG, but not in the I+ARG group, suggesting that ARG attenuate intestinal dysfunctions due to I but not to R.

Study of heparin in intestinal ischemia and reperfusion in rats: morphologic and functional evaluation

To study whether treatment with heparin (HEP) attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), rats were treated with HEP (100 U/kg intravenously) or saline solution (SS) before I (60 min), which was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery, and R (120 min). After I or I/R, we mounted 2-cm jejunal segment in an organ bath to study neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl, using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for optical microscopy. Compared with the sham group, jejunal contractions were similar in the I + HEP and the I/R + HEP groups, but reduced in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups. The jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in the I + SS and the I/R + SS, but not in the I + HEP and the I/R + HEP cohorts. These results suggested that HEP attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by I and I/R.

Atenolol to treat intestinal ischemia and reperfusion in rats

To study whether treatment with the beta-blocker atenolol (AT) attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), rats were treated with AT (1.5 mg · kg(-1), intravenously) or saline solution (SS) prior to I (60 minutes), which was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery, and/or R (120 minutes). After I or I/R, 2-cm jejunal segments were mounted in an organ bath to study neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for optical microscopy analysis. Compared to the sham group, jejunal contractions were similar in the I + AT and the I/R + AT groups, but reduced in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups. The jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups, but not in the I + AT and the I/R + AT. These results suggest that AT may attenuate intestinal dysfunction caused by I and I/R.

Effects of 5'-adenosine triphosphate on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion in rabbits

To study whether treatment with 5'-adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an agonist of P2 purine receptors, attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and/or reperfusion (R), rabbits were treated with ATP (15 mgxkg(-1), intravenously) or saline solution (SS) 60 minutes before I by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery and/or R (120 minutes). After I or I/R isolated 2-cm jejunal segments were mounted in an organ bath to study nerve-mediated contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained (hematoxylin and eosin) for optical microscopy. Compared to a sham group, the jejunal contractions were similar to sham hosts among I + ATP, but reduced in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ATP groups. The jejunal-enteric nerves were damaged in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ATP, but not the I + ATP group. These results suggested that ATP attenuated intestinal dysfunction produced by I, but not that caused by R.

Role of L-arginine, a substrate of nitric oxide biosynthesis, on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion in rabbits

To study whether treatment with L-arginine (ARG), a substrate of nitric oxide biosynthesis, attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), rabbits treated with ARG (100 mgxkg(-1), intravenously) or saline solution (SS) prior to I (60 minutes) by occlusion of superior mesenteric artery and/or during R (120 minutes). After I or I/R, 2-cm jejunal segments were isolated and mounted in an organ bath to study of neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained (hematoxylin and eosin) for analysis by optical microscopy. Compared to the sham group, jejunal contractions were similar in I + ARG, but reduced in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ARG groups. The jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ARG, but not in I + ARG group, suggesting that ARG can attenuate intestinal dysfunctions due to I, but not to R.

Investigation of in vitro effects of ethephon and chlorpyrifos, either alone or in combination, on rat intestinal muscle contraction

A range of pesticides is widely used in pest management and the chances of exposure to multiple organophosphorus (OP) compounds simultaneously are high, especially from dietary and other sources. Although health hazards of individual OP insecticides have been relatively well characterized, there is lesser information on the interactive toxicity of multiple OP insecticides. The aim of this study is to elicit the possible interactions in case combined exposure of an OP pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and a plant growth regulator ethephon (ETF) which are used worldwide. The ileum segments of 3 months old Wistar Albino male rats were used in isolated organ bath containing Tyrode solution. ETF and CPF were incubated (10(-7) M concentration) separately or in combination with each other to ileum and their effects on acetylcholine-induced contractions were studied. The data obtained from this study show that, single and combined exposure to the agents caused agonistic interactions with regard to potency of ACh whereas they caused a decrease on E(max) value of ACh. These findings suggest that exposure to these agents which have direct and indirect cholinergic effects, may cause developing clinical responses with small doses and earlier but the extent of toxicity will be lower.

Atenolol Attenuates Autonomic Dysfunction of Rat Jejunum Submitted to Cold Ischemic Preservation

In vitro studies have demonstrated that cold ischemic preservation (CIP) employed in small bowel transplantation produces loss of intestinal motility due to severe lesions of autonomic enteric nerves and that this autonomic dysfunction is attenuated by antioxidant agents. In this work, we investigated whether preservation with atenolol attenuated autonomic dysfunction of rat jejunum submitted to long-term CIP. Jejunal segments (2 cm) of Wistar rats (12 to 16 weeks old) were surgically isolated and preserved at 4 degrees C in Ringer's lactate solution without (-) or with (+) 1 mumol/L atenolol (AT). After preservation for 12 hours, AT+ and AT- preparations were mounted in parallel in isolated organ baths containing 10 mL Tyrode's solution at 37 degrees C for the study of neurogenic contractions evoked by electrical field stimulation (EFS; 10 to 30 Hz, 1-ms duration, 60 V) or by stimulation with nicotinic (nicotine, NIC) or muscarinic (carbachol, CCh) cholinoceptor agents as well as nicotine (hexamethonium, HEX) and muscarinic (atropine, ATR) antagonists. Contractions induced by EFS (30 Hz) were 46% higher in AT+ (0.38 +/- 0.02 g) than AT- (0.26 +/- 0.01 g), while contractions induced by NIC (1 mmol/L) were 84% higher in AT+ (0.46 +/- 0.03 g) than in AT- (0.25 +/- 0.02 g). In addition, contractions induced by CCh (1 mmol/L) were 34% higher in AT+ (0.87 +/- 0.06 g) than in AT- (0.65 +/- 0.08 g). EFS-, NIC-, and CCh-induced contractions were inhibited by pretreatment of jejunum with HEX or ATR (1 mumol/30 min), in AT+ and AT-. These results suggest that addition of atenolol in the preservation solution attenuated autonomic dysfunction of rat jejunum submitted to long-term CIP.

Autonomic Dysfunction of Rat Jejunum Submitted to Cold Ischemic Preservation Is Prevented by Heparin

Previous studies suggest that cold ischemic preservation (CIP) employed in small bowel transplantation promotes loss of intestinal motility due to severe lesions in autonomic enteric nerves. This autonomic dysfunction may be prevented by antioxidant agents. In this work, we investigated whether preservation with heparin prevented autonomic dysfunction of rat jejunum submitted to CIP for a long time. Jejunal segments (2 cm) of Wistar rats (12 to 16 weeks old) were preserved at 4 degrees C in Ringer's lactate solution without (-) or with (+) 100 UI/mL heparin (H). After preservation for 12 hours, H+ and H- preparations were mounted in parallel in isolated organ baths containing 10 mL Tyrode's solution at 37 degrees C for the study of neurogenic contractions evoked by electrical field stimulation (EFS; 10-30 Hz, 1-ms duration, 60 V) or by stimulation of nicotinic (NIC) or muscarinic (carbachol, CCh) cholinoceptors. The effects of NIC (hexamethonium, HEX) and muscarinic (atropine, ATR) antagonists were studied on these contractions. Contractions induced by EFS (30 Hz) were four times greater in H+ (1.02 +/- 0.12 g) versus H- (0.26 +/- 0.07 g), while contractions induced by NIC (1 mmol/L) were also four times higher in H+ (1.07 +/- 0.10 g) than H- (0.25 +/- 0.09 g) preparations. In addition, contractions induced by CCh (1 mmol/L) were two times higher in H+ (1.21 +/- 0.13 g) than in H- (0.65 +/- 0.10 g). EFS, NIC, and CCh contractions were inhibited by pretreatment of jejunum with HEX or ATR (1 mumol/L/30 min), in H+ and H-. These results indicated that addition of heparin to a preservation solution attenuated the autonomic dysfunction of rat jejunum submitted to CIP for a long time.