Enteric Nervous System Remodeling in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gastroenterology
• Physiology

Background:

• Digestive disorders are common in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.
• The role of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in SCI-related gut dysfunction is poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in ENS neurochemical coding and colon inflammation in a rat model of chronic thoracic SCI.
• To correlate these changes with neuromuscular responses in the colon.

Main Methods:

• Ex vivo organ bath studies of colon motility in response to electrical field stimulation and bethanechol.
• Immunohistochemistry for neuronal markers (Hu, nNOS, ChAT).
• Measurement of acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase, and inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression (TNF-α, ICAM-1) using RT-qPCR.

Main Results:

• Reduced contractile response to bethanechol and decreased nNOS-immunoreactive neurons in the proximal colon of SCI rats.
• Lower acetylcholine concentration in the proximal colon of SCI rats.
• Reduced expression of inflammatory markers (TNF-α, ICAM-1) in both proximal and distal colons of SCI rats.

Conclusions:

• SCI induces functional and neuroplastic changes in the colon, predominantly affecting the proximal colon.
• These changes involve alterations in ENS neurochemical coding and inflammatory pathways.
• The precise mechanisms driving these SCI-induced colonic alterations require further investigation.