Myenteric plexus in the gastrointestinal tract of non-obese diabetic mice

• Spangeus, A. ^[1] ; El-Salhy, M. ^[1]
  1. [1] Section for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Umea, Sweden
• Localización: Histology and histopathology: cellular and molecular biology, ISSN-e 1699-5848, ISSN 0213-3911, Vol. 13, Nº. 4, 1998, págs. 989-994
• Idioma: inglés
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  • The myenteric plexus was investigated in the gastrointestinal tract of pre-diabetic and diabetic nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice . The plexus was immunostained by the avidin-biotin complex method, using a general marker for nerve elements, namely protein geneproduct 9.5. The nerve fibres were quantified by pointcounting and the number of ganglia and their area were de termined by image analysis. The relative volume density of th e nerve fibres in duodenal muscularis propria was found to be significantly reduced in of both pre-diabetic and diabetic NOD mice . There was no statistical difference between controls and NOD mice regarding relative volume density of nerve fibres in antral and colonic muscularis propri a. The number of myenteric ganglia/mm baseline was significantly decreased in the duodenum of diabetic NOD mice, and showed a non-statistically significant tend e ncy to decrease in pre-diabetic mice. In the antrum and colon, there was no difference between the controls and NOD mice regarding the number of ganglia/mm baseline. Nor was there any significant difference between controls and NOD mice in the area of myenteric ganglia in either antrum, duodenum or colon. It is concluded that the changes in the duodenal myenteric plexus of NOD mice are prior to the onset of diabetes. It is suggested that the absence of changes in the antral and colonic myenteric plexus when using a general marker for neuroelements does not preclude a possible change in cholinergic, adrenergic or peptidergic innervation.