title: Changes of amount and ultrastructure of interstitial cells of Cajal in rats with severe acute pancreatitis and their importance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes in the amount and ultrastructure of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and their importance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A modified Aho method was employed to establish a SAP rat model. Laser scanning confocal immunofluorescence microscopy was employed to detect the amount of ICC, and transmission electron microscopy was employed for observation of ultrastructure of ICC and nerve-ICC-smooth muscle network.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The amount of ICC reduced, the intercellular space of ICC was enlarged, cell processes reduced or were absent, cell morphology was irregular, and ICC had unclear borderline, reduced organelles, impaired organelles, nuclear shrinkage and deformation. The junctions between ICC and between ICC and smooth muscle cell/nerve reduced, and the network-like structure was disrupted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In SAP, ICC reduces, with disrupted ultrastructure, and the integrity of network among intestinal nerve, ICC and smooth muscle is impaired, both of which may affect the intestinal functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yujie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Songjiang Branch of The Affiliated First People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Guoxia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University Shanghai, China ; Department of Gastroenterology, Songjiang Branch of The Affiliated First People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Songjiang Branch of The Affiliated First People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Songjiang Branch of The Affiliated First People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Maochun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
keywords: Severe acute pancreatitis; c-kit positive cells; intestinal cells of Cajal; ultrastructure