title: Nitric oxide synthase is increased following small intestinal transplantation in the rat.
abstract: Transplantation of the small intestine is a neural model that could include extrinsic denervation, loss of intrinsic enteric neurons, or loss of intrinsic neural pathways. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase activity was measured in normal rat ileum, ileum 3 months after resection of the jejunum, and ileum 3 months after isotransplantation of the ileum. The distribution of NADPH diaphorase activity and immunoreactive neuronal nitric oxide synthase were examined. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase activity was increased in transplanted ileum (16.5+/-3.5 mU/mg protein) compared to normal controls (6.6+/-0.7) and resection controls (6.8+/-0.6) (P < 0.05, ANOVA). Histologically, NADPH diaphorase activity and immunoreactive nitric oxide synthase appeared increased within nerve cell bodies following transplantation. These findings may represent an adaptive response of the enteric nervous system to extrinsic denervation. Loss of intrinsic neural pathways was not supported as a mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53295, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stadelmann
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Telford
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walgenbach-Telford
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase