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Abdominal surgery activates nesfatin-1 immunoreactive brain nuclei in rats
Andreas Stengel1, Miriam Goebel, Lixin Wang
1CURE/Digestive Diseases Research Center, Center for Neurobiology of Stress, Digestive Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles & Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA.
Abdominal surgery activates nesfatin-1 neurons in key brain areas like the hypothalamus and brainstem. This suggests nesfatin-1 may play a role in post-surgery changes in eating and digestion.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Postoperative gastric ileus following abdominal surgery is linked to Fos expression in specific rat brain nuclei.
- Nesfatin-1, a hypothalamic peptide, inhibits gastric emptying and is found in autonomic brain nuclei, suggesting a role in stress responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if abdominal surgery activates nesfatin-1-immunoreactive neurons in the rat brain.
- To characterize the phenotype of neurons activated by abdominal surgery.
Main Methods:
- Rats underwent abdominal surgery or anesthesia alone.
- Brains were collected 2 hours post-procedure for double immunohistochemical labeling of Fos and nesfatin-1.
Main Results:
- Abdominal surgery induced Fos expression in multiple brain nuclei, including the SON, PVN, LC, EW, rRPa, NTS, and VLM.
- A high percentage of Fos-expressing neurons were also nesfatin-1-immunoreactive in the SON (99%), LC (91%), rRPa (82%), EW/VLM (74%), and PVN subnuclei (71% to 41%).
Conclusions:
- Nesfatin-1-immunoreactive neurons in the hypothalamus and brainstem are activated by abdominal surgery.
- Nesfatin-1 may be involved in the alterations of food intake and gastric transit following abdominal surgery.
