Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Early ultrastructural adaptive changes of ileal enterocytes after proximal small bowel resection as determined morphometrically

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Research in Experimental Medicine

Summary

The aim of the present study was to evaluate in terms of quantitative measurements whether the well-known histomorphological and functional adaptive changes in the intestinal mucosa after small bowel resection are accompanied by alterations on the ultrastructural level. Therefore, samples of the ileal remnants after a 60% proximal resection were processed for ultrastructural evaluation and analyzed employing point counting planimetry and direct measurements. Microvillus surface area increased from the bottom of the crypts to the villus tips in both resected and sham-operated animals. This increase in microvillus surface area from the crypt to the villus was significantly less pronounced after proximal resection, while there were no changes in the crypt compartment. No significant differences of the relative areas of the nuclei, mitochondria, and the rough endoplasmic reticulum were observed when comparing the different positions along the villus crypt axis in normal and hyperplastic mucosa. In agreement with functional and enzyme histochemical results, these ultrastructural findings provide further evidence for an altered pattern of enterocyte maturation after proximal resection, which is most probably due to an increase in the migration rate of the enterocytes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bochanek WJ, Narczewsky B, Grzebieluch M (1973) Effect of massive proximal small bowel resection on intestinal sucrase and lactase activity in the rat. Digestion 9:224–230

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bochkov NP (1959) Morphological changes in the jejunum and ileum of rats after wide resection of the small intestine. Bull Exp Bio Med USSR 47:339–343

    Google Scholar 

  3. Booth CC, Evans KT, Menzies T, Street DF (1959) Intestinal hypertrophy following partial resection of the small bowel in the rat. Br J Surg 46:403–410

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bury KD (1972) Carbohydrate digestion and absorption after massive resection of the small intestine. Surg Gynecol Obstet 135:177–187

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Dowling RH, Booth CC (1967) Structural and functional changes following small intestinal resection in the rat. Clin Sci 32:139–149

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Feldman EJ, Dowling RH, McNaughton J, Peters TJ (1976) Effects of oral versus intravenous nutrition on the intestinal adaptation after small bowel resection in the dog. Gastroenterology 70:712–719

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Genyk SN (1971) Ultrastructure of the apical part of the epithelial cells of the mucous membrane of the small intestine after extensive experimental enterectomy. Bull Exp Biol Med USSR 72:964–967

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gleeson MH, Dowling RH, Peters TJ (1972) Biochemical changes in the intestinal mucosa after experimental small bowel bypass in the rat. Clin Sci 43:743–757

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Grönqvist B, Engström B, Grimelius L (1975) Morphological studies of the rat small intestine after jejuno-ileal transposition. Acta Chir Scand 141:208–217

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gutschmidt S, Menge H, Riecken EO (1982) “In situ” kinetic data of brush border disaccharidases at different villus sites during intestinal adaptation. In: Robinson JWL, Dowling RH, Riecken EO (eds) Mechanisms of intestinal adaptation. MTP Press, Lancaster Boston The Hague, pp 371–382

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hanson WR, Osborne JW (1971) Epithelial cell kinetics in the small intestine of the rat 60 days after resection of 70% of the ileum and jejunum. Gastroenterology 60:1087–1097

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Hanson WR, Osborne JW, Sharp JG (1977) Compensation by the residual intestine after intestinal resection in the rat. II. Influence of the postoperative time interval. Gastroenterology 72:701–705

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Karnovsky MJ (1965) A formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde fixation of high osmolality for use in electron microscopy. J Cell Biol 27:137A-138A

    Google Scholar 

  14. Loran MR, Crocker TT (1963) Population dynamics of intestinal epithelia in the rat two months after partial resection of the ileum. J Cell Biol 19:285–291

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. McCarthy DM, Kim YS (1973) Changes in sucrase, enterokinase and peptide hydrolase after intestinal resection. The association of cellular hyperplasia and adaptation. J Clin Invest 52:942–951

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Menge H, Robinson JWL (1978) The relationship between the functional and structural alterations in the rat small intestine following proximal resection of varying extents. Res Exp Med (Berl) 173:41–53

    Google Scholar 

  17. Menge H, Robinson JWL, Mirkovitch V (1977) Influence of the colonic contents on the structure and function of rat jejunal mucosa. Exp Mol Pathol 26:204–211

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Menge H, Murer H, Robinson JWL (1978) Glucose transport by brush-border membrane vesicles after proximal resection or ileojejunal transposition in the rat. J Physiol 274:9–16

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Menge H, Hopert R, Alexopoulos T, Riecken EO (1982) Three-dimensional structure and cell kinetics at different sites of rat intestinal remnants during the early adaptive response to resection. Rex Exp Med (Berl) 181:77–94

    Google Scholar 

  20. Menge H, Sepulveda FV, Smith MW (1983) Cellular adaptation of amino acid transport following intestinal resection in the rat. J Physiol 334:213–223

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Richardson KC, Jarett L, Finke EH (1960) Embedding in epoxy resins for ultrathin sectioning in electron microscopy. Stain Technol 35:313–323

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Robinson JWL, VanMelle G, Riecken EO, Menge H (1982) Structural and functional correlations in the hypertrophic mucosa of intestinal remnants following resection in rats. Res Exp Med (Berl) 181:95–104

    Google Scholar 

  23. Skala I, Konradova V (1969) Hypertrophy of the small intestine after its partial resection in the rat: ultrastructure of the intestinal epithelium. Am J Digest Dis 14:182–188

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Tilson MD, Wright HK (1971) Subcellular organelle hypertrophy in intestinal epithelium following resection in the midgut. Gastroenterology 60:724–728

    Google Scholar 

  25. Tilson MD, Wright HK (1971) An adaptation change in ileal Na-K-ATPase activity after jejunectomy or jejunal transposition. Surgery 70:421–424

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Tilson MD, Wright HK (1972) The effect of resection of the small intestine upon the fine structure of the intestinal epithelium. Surg Gynecol Obstet 134:992–994

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Urban E (1977) Intestinal brush border alkaline phosphatase in the rat after proximal small bowel resection. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 155:99–104

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. VanDongen JM, Visser WJ, Daems WT, Galjaard H (1976) The relation between cell proliferation, differentiation and ultrastructural development in rat intestinal epithelium. Cell Tissue Res 174:183–199

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. VanDongen JM, Kooyman J, Visser WJ, Holt SJ, Galjaard H (1977) The effect of increased crypt cell proliferation on the activity and subcellular localization of esterases and alkaline phosphatase in the rat small intestine. Histochem J 9:61–75

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Weibel ER (1969) Stereological principles for morphometry in electron-microscopic cytology. Int Rev Cytol 26:236–302

    Google Scholar 

  31. Weser E, Hernandez MH (1971) Studies of small bowel adaptation after intestinal resection in the rat. Gastroenterology 60:69–75

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Wilmore DW, Phillip G, Holtzapple MD, Dudrick SJ, Cerda JJ (1971) Transport studies, morphological and histochemical findings in intestinal epithelial cells following massive bowel resection. Surg Forum 22:361–363

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. für Innere Medizin mit Schwerpunkt Gastroenterologie, Klinikum Steglitz der Freien Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-1000, Berlin 45, Germany

    M. Zeitz, H. Menge & E. O. Riecken

Authors
  1. M. Zeitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Menge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. O. Riecken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ze 188/1

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zeitz, M., Menge, H. & Riecken, E.O. Early ultrastructural adaptive changes of ileal enterocytes after proximal small bowel resection as determined morphometrically. Res. Exp. Med. 185, 259–268 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01851950

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01851950

Key words

Search

Navigation