Hypertrophy of rat sensory ganglion neurons following intestinal obstruction.
BACKGROUND
Neuroplastic changes following ileum hypertrophy have been reported in intrinsic enteric neurons. The hypothesis in the present study was that intestinal hypertrophy induces neuronal changes in dorsal root ganglia (DRG).


METHODS
Under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia, partial obstruction was produced in the rat by tying a plastic ring around the terminal loop of ileum. Fast Blue (FB) (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) was injected into the obstructed ileum wall, and the rat was perfused after 8 days. DRG were immunostained and examined to identify and measure sizes of perikarya containing FB and/or calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) or FB and/or substance P (SP).


RESULTS
Of the DRG neurons that projected to the ileum in control or obstructed animals, approximately 50% were CGRP-immunoreactive (IR) and 30% were SP-IR (colchicine pretreatment was not used). Neurons that projected to the obstructed ileum were increased in size compared with neurons in nonobstructed controls. Some of these neurons were CGRP-IR or SP-IR; some were large FB-labeled neurons that were not SP-IR or CGRP-IR.


CONCLUSIONS
The morphology of sensory autonomic neurons in adult animals is influenced by dynamic interactions with the targets they innervate, whether directly or transneuronally.
Williams
T H
TH
Department of Anatomy, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
Zhang
M Q
MQ
Jew
J Y
JY
D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000473:pathology*; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000032:analysis; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D013373:Substance P; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide