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Decrease in nerve fibre density in human sigmoid colon circular muscle occurs with growth but not aging.

B R Southwell1, T L Koh, S Q Wong

  • 1Department of General Surgery, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. bridget.southwell@mcri.edu.au

Neurogastroenterology and Motility
|October 21, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nerve fiber density in the human sigmoid colon decreases from birth to adulthood due to increasing muscle thickness, not nerve loss. This impacts nitric oxide (NO), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and Substance P (SP) pathways.

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Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Animal studies suggest age-related decline in enteric neurons, particularly those with nitric oxide (NO), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and Substance P (SP).
  • Human studies indicate a decrease in NO-utilizing neurons in the large intestine during childhood/early adulthood, but changes in muscle innervation remain unclear.
  • This study investigates age-related changes in nerve fiber density of specific neurotransmitters in the sigmoid colon's circular muscle.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the density of nerve fibers containing neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), VIP, and SP in the sigmoid colon circular muscle of children and adults.
  • To determine if age-related changes in muscle innervation occur in the human sigmoid colon.
  • To elucidate the relationship between nerve fiber density, neurotransmitter content, and circular muscle thickness during human development.

Main Methods:

  • Fluorescence immunohistochemistry was used to detect nNOS, VIP, and SP in sigmoid colon samples.
  • Samples were obtained from adults with colorectal cancer, children with familial adenomatous polyposis, and children with Hirschsprung's disease.
  • Confocal microscopy quantified the percentage area of immunoreactive nerve fibers in the circular muscle.

Main Results:

  • In adults, the percentage area of nerve fibers followed the order nNOS > VIP > SP (6:2:1).
  • Pediatric groups exhibited significantly higher percentage areas of nNOS-, VIP-, and SP-IR nerve fibers compared to adults.
  • Nerve fiber density decreased from birth to approximately 30 years, coinciding with increased circular muscle thickness, while total nerve fiber area remained constant.

Conclusions:

  • Human sigmoid colon circular muscle shows reduced nNOS-, VIP-, and SP-IR nerve fiber density with growth from newborn to late adolescence, with minimal further changes in aging.
  • The observed reduction in nerve density is primarily attributed to an increase in circular muscle thickness, not a loss of nerve fibers.
  • These findings highlight developmental changes in the enteric nervous system's neurochemical profile within the colonic muscle wall.