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Quantitative analysis of enteric neurons containing choline acetyltransferase and nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivities in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the porcine colon

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Abstract

The enteric nervous system (ENS) controls gastrointestinal functions. In large mammals’ intestine, it comprises an inner (ISP) and outer (OSP) submucous plexus and a myenteric plexus (MP). This study quantifies enteric neurons in the ISP, OSP, and MP of the pig ascending (AC) and descending colon (DC) using the HuC/D, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) neuronal markers in whole mount preparations with multiple labeling immunofluorescence. We established that the ISP contains the highest number of HuC/D neurons/mm2, which were more abundant in AC vs. DC, followed by OSP and MP with similar density in AC and DC. In the ISP, the density of ChAT immunoreactive (IR) neurons was very similar in AC and DC (31% and 35%), nNOS-IR neurons were less abundant in AC than DC (15% vs. 42%, P < 0.001), and ChAT/nNOS-IR neurons were 5% and 10%, respectively. In the OSP, 39–44% of neurons were ChAT-IR in AC and DC, while 45% and 38% were nNOS-IR and 10–12% were ChAT/nNOS-IR (AC vs. DC P < 0.05). In the MP, ChAT-IR neurons were 44% in AC and 54% in DC (P < 0.05), nNOS-IR neurons were 50% in both, and ChAT/nNOS-IR neurons were 12 and 18%, respectively. The ENS architecture with multilayered submucosal plexuses and the distribution of functionally distinct groups of neurons in the pig colon are similar to humans, supporting the suitability of the pig as a model and providing the platform for investigating the mechanisms underlying human colonic diseases.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. Michael Schemann for kindly providing the primary choline acetyl transferase antibody.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Health-SPARC (Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions) Award 1OT2OD24899 (CS), the University of California at Los Angeles/Digestive Diseases Research Center Core P30 DK41301, Imaging Core (CS) and Animal Model Core (MMillion), and the “Fondazione CARISBO” project 2017/0312, Bologna, Italy.

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Author notes

  1. Maurizio Mazzoni and Filippo Caremoli contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064, Bologna, Italy

    Maurizio Mazzoni & Paolo Clavenzani

  2. Division of Digestive Diseases, Department Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Filippo Caremoli, Luis Cabanillas, Mulugeta Million, Muriel Larauche & Catia Sternini

  3. Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Janira de los Santos & Catia Sternini

  4. Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Mulugeta Million

  5. Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    Roberto De Giorgio

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  1. Maurizio Mazzoni
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  2. Filippo Caremoli
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Correspondence to Catia Sternini.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Animal care and procedures described in this study were carried out in strict accordance with the National Institutes of Health recommendations for the humane use of animals. The experimental procedures were approved by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee (ARC) (protocol 2018-074-01).

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Mazzoni, M., Caremoli, F., Cabanillas, L. et al. Quantitative analysis of enteric neurons containing choline acetyltransferase and nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivities in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the porcine colon. Cell Tissue Res 383, 645–654 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-020-03286-7

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