Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

In Vitro Recording of Mesenteric Afferent Nerve Activity in Mouse Jejunal and Colonic Segments
Published on: October 25, 2016
Refeeding reverses fasting-induced remodeling of afferent nerve activity in rat small intestine
Lingxia Bao1,2, Jingbo Zhao1,2, Donghua Liao2
1GIOME and the Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology of Ministry of Education; State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Vascular Implants, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China.
Abstract:
Intestinal afferents play an important role in coordinating intestinal motor control. Fasting induces morpho-mechanical intestinal remodeling. This study aimed to characterize the effect of fasting and refeeding on mechanosensitivity in mesenteric afferent nerves in isolated Sprague-Dawley rat jejunum. A control group fed ad libitum, a group fasted for 7 days and a group refed 7 days after 7 days fasting were studied. Jejunal segments were used for electrophysiological, histomorphological and mechanical studies. Mesenteric afferent nerve firing was recorded during a ramp distension up to 40 mmHg luminal pressure. Multiunit afferent recordings were separated into low threshold and wide-dynamic-range single-unit activity. Intestinal deformation (strain), bowel distension load (stress) and firing frequency of mesenteric afferent nerve bundles [spike rate increase ratio (SRIR)] were compared among groups. Fasting induced intestinal histomorphometric remodeling, which was reversed by refeeding. The firing frequency increased with distension in all groups. SRIR was largest in the fasting group (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, fasting increased afferent activity in whole nerve bundles and wide-dynamic-range units at high degrees of distensions (P < 0.05 at pressure 40 mmHg; P < 0.05 at strain 1.2; P < 0.01 at stress 8 kPa). Refeeding reversed the fasting-induced afferent hypersensitivity and the shift between receptor subtypes. In conclusion, refeeding reversed fasting-induced remodeling.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleosome Remodeling
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the...
Bone Remodeling
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
Fast Fourier Transform
The computational efficiency of the FFT becomes...
Diode: Reverse bias

