title: Abnormalities of digestive tract innervation in rat fetus treated with ethylenethiourea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The pathophysiology of abnormalities associated with myenteric plexus lesions remains imperfectly understood. Such abnormalities have been correlated with subocclusive intestinal conditions in children with Hirschsprung's disease, cases of chronic constipation and, postoperatively, in cases of anorectal anomalies. This study evaluated abnormalities of the myenteric plexus in fetus from female rats that received ethylenethiourea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female rats were exposed to ethylenethiourea on the 11(th) day of pregnancy (experimental group) or to 0.9% physiological solution (control group). Abnormalities were only found in the experimental group. The digestive tract muscle layer was analyzed morphometrically and changes to the frequencies of nerve plexus cells and interstitial cells of Cajal were evaluated, using hematoxylin-eosin, S-100 protein, neuron-specific enolase and C-Kit, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Muscle and skeletal abnormalities were observed in 100%, anorectal anomalies in 86%, absent tail in 71%, short tail in 29%, duodenal atresia in 5%, esophageal atresia in 5% and persistent omphalomesenteric duct in 5%. Histopathological analysis showed a thinner muscle layer associated with lower frequencies of ganglion cells and interstitial cells of Cajal, in all gastrointestinal tract.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe nerve plexus abnormalities associated with muscle layer atrophy were observed throughout the gastrointestinal tract in newborn rats exposed to ethylenethiourea.
authors.affiliation: Research and Surgery Program, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. sppls@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Sidney Pereira Pinto
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Lemos
authors.forename: José Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Patrícia Veruska Ribeiro Barbosa
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Lemos
authors.forename: Silvio Romero Gonçalves e
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Fernando Leandro dos
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Valdemiro Amaro da
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Silva Júnior
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000294:innervation; D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004065:Digestive System Abnormalities / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005031:Ethylenethiourea / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects; D005724:Ganglia / Q000166:cytology; D056885:Interstitial Cells of Cajal / Q000166:cytology; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000002:abnormalities*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000187:drug effects*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D005031:Ethylenethiourea