Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2025
07:54
Immunostaining to Visualize Murine Enteric Nervous System Development
Published on: April 29, 2015
11.4K
Dynamic Pathology of Enteric Neural Network Using Curcumin-assisted Multiphoton Laser Imaging in Hirschsprung Disease
Yuhki Koike1, Akira Mizoguchi2,3, Keiichi Uchida4
1Departments of Gastrointestinal and Pediatric Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
Annals of Surgery
|September 12, 2024
Summary
A new method, curcumin vital staining combined with intravital fluorescent observation (CVS-IFOM), allows detailed real-time analysis of the enteric nervous system (ENS). This technique aids in diagnosing conditions like Hirschsprung disease by visualizing microscopic tissue details without damage.
Area of Science:
- Microscopy and imaging techniques
- Gastrointestinal physiology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Microscopic observation of living tissue is challenging due to potential damage.
- A novel intravital fluorescent observation method (IFOM) was developed, combining multi-photon laser scanning microscopy (MPLSM) with curcumin vital staining (CVS-IFOM).
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the enteric nervous system (ENS) in mice and human patients with hypoganglionosis and Hirschsprung disease using CVS-IFOM.
- To evaluate the efficacy of CVS-IFOM in visualizing ENS structures compared to conventional methods.
Main Methods:
- A viability study compared live ENS images from curcumin-stained mice and GFP mice using MPLSM.
- CVS-IFOM was applied to examine resected colon tissues from patients with hypoganglionosis and Hirschsprung disease.
Main Results:
- Detailed ENS histological features were observed in curcumin-stained mice.
- CVS-IFOM revealed ENS details in hypoganglionosis patients not visible with H&E or calretinin immunohistochemistry.
- In Hirschsprung disease, CVS-IFOM demonstrated gradual ENS hypoplastic changes and circumferentially uneven distribution.
Conclusions:
- CVS-IFOM provides detailed visualization of the ENS in living tissue.
- This method supports intraoperative pathological diagnosis for conditions like Hirschsprung disease.
