Nitric oxide mediates intestinal hyperaemic responses to intraluminal bile-oleate

It has long been recognized that intestinal blood flow increases at mealtimes. Mesenteric hyperaemia is also evoked by activation of sensory peptidergic nerves. Our studies explored the possible role of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) in the rat intestinal vasodilator response to luminal instillation of an oleic acid plus bile mixture before and after acute intrajejunal instillation of capsaicin and after chronic pretreatment with capsaicin. In anaesthetized rats we measured jejunal blood flow (BF) with an ultrasonic Doppler flowmeter and systemic arterial pressure (AP) with a pressure transducer. Intestinal perfusion with 80 mM oleic acid in bile increased BF by 98±12%. Instillation of 4 mg of capsaicin into the jejunal lumen initially increased BF by 42±9% but was followed by vasoconstriction. Inhibition of NO synthase with 25 mg/kg i.v. N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) decreased BF by 27±5% and increased AP by 37±11%. After treatment with L-NNA and after acute and chronic administration of capsaicin, the bile-oleate-induced maximal increases in BF above control levels were 42±7%, 65±12%, and 58±8%, respectively. The observed inhibitory effect of L-NNA on the intestinal hyperaemic response to the bile-oleate mixture was reversed by pretreatment with L-arginine (100 mg/kg i.V.). In capsaicin pretreated rats the subsequent bile-oleate-induced hyperaemia was reduced in magnitude but the inhibitory effects of L-NNA were proportionately the same as in animals not receiving capsaicin. These findings support the hypothesis that NO is involved with bile-oleate-induced mesenteric hyperaemia.     

A Weaning Reaction to Microbiota Is Required for Resistance to Immunopathologies in the Adult

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Synergistic convergence of microbiota-specific systemic IgG and secretory IgA

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Treatment of mice with the anticoccidial drug Toltrazuril does not interfere with the development of a specific cellular intestinal immune response to Eimeria falciformis

Immunity against Eimeria-infections is highly specific and it depends on cell-mediated effector mechanisms. Infections of BALB/c mice with 1000 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria falciformis led to protection against challenge infections. Treatment with the anticoccidium Toltrazuril, during primary infection, terminated the ongoing disease and did not interfere with the establishment of protective immunity against challenge infections. Mesenteric lymph node cells of infected, treated as well as non-treated and challenged BALB/c mice, showed a similar proliferation upon stimulation with parasite antigen. In contrast, neither cells of the Peyers patches, intraepithelial lymphocytes, nor spleen cells responded to stimulation with parasite antigens. Cells from all compartments and of all investigated groups proliferated and released the cytokines IFN- and IL-4 in response to the mitogen Concanavalin A. The number of cells releasing IFN- or IL-4 was not dependent on the status of infection or previous treatment with Toltrazuril. The serum IgG response against total sporozoite antigens of individual mice showed that in addition, a systemic humoral response developed in infected mice, independent of a previous drug treatment, although the specific IgG antibody concentration was higher in non-treated mice. Thus, Toltrazuril does not impair the parasite specific intestinal cellular and systemic antibody response and does not prevent the development of protection against challenge infection.     

Immune aspects of intestinal metaplasia of the stomach: An immunohistochemical study

Summary Immune characteristics of intestinal metaplasia of the stomach were analyzed by the immunoperoxidase technique in frozen and paraffin-embedded specimens. In fetal and minimally inflamed adult gastric mucosa, secretory component (SC) was absent from epithelial cells. Non-intestinalized gastric mucosa with evident inflammatory changes showed weak SC immunoreactivity at the generative cell zone. Enhanced immunoreactivity of SC with evidence of transepithelial transport of IgA and IgM, but not of IgG, was demonstrated in intestinalized glands of either the complete or incomplete type. The number of inflammatory cells and lymphoid follicles was decreased in intestinalized mucosa when compared with that in non-intestinalized gastritic mucosa; J chain-negative IgG plasma cells and T cells, both of which were fairly abundant in the latter mucosa, were remarkably decreased in the former mucosa, whereas the decrease of J chain-positive IgA or IgM plasma cells was slight or equivocal. In either mucosa, IgA was the most popular immunoglobulin class in plasma cells. IgD plasma cells were very rare. In the germinal centers of lymphoid follicles which were preferentially distributed in non-intestinalized gastritic mucosa, IgM or IgG germinocytes predominated over IgA germinocytes, and a few T cells and NK cells also were present. Intraepithelial lymphoid cells with a T-suppressor phenotype were detected in intestinalized glands. The possibility that intestinal metaplasia is an adaptation to long-standing chronic gastritis is discussed.     

gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase activity in Ascaris suum

Using histochemical techniques γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity has been localized mainly in the cuticle-hypodermis in Ascaris suum. The specific activity of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase was 3.87 ± 0.49 μmol h⁻¹ (g tissue)⁻¹ in cuticle-hypodermis as compared to gastrointestinal tract, where it was 0.07 ± 0.02 μmol h⁻¹ (g tissue)⁻¹, and muscle and reproductive tract where it was <0.001 μmol h⁻¹ (g tissue)⁻¹. When cuticle sections were incubated with labelled glutamine a large portion of the glutamine nitrogen was recovered as ammonia which indicated glutamine uptake and utilization by the cuticle-hypodermis. Collectively these histochemical and biochemical data support the fact that γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity is found in the cuticle-hypodermis of A. suum and this may be an indication that amino acid absorption could occur through the cuticle via the γ-glutamyl cycle.     

Apamin distinguishes two types of relaxation mediated by enteric nerves in the guinea-pig gastrointestinal tract

Summary Eight smooth muscle preparations from the stomach, small intestine and large intestine of the guinea-pig were used to compare apamin's actions in reducing the effectiveness of transmission from enteric inhibitory nerves and in reducing responses to inhibitory agonists ,-methylene ATP, VIP and isoprenaline. The effects of apamin on inhibitory reflexes in the ileum and colon were also evaluated. Apamin had little or no effect on responses to VIP and isoprenaline in any region, but consistently and substantially reduced responses to ,-methylene ATP. Responses to stimulation of enteric inhibitory neurons were substantially reduced by apamin in the antrum circular muscle, ileum longitudinal and circular muscle, taenia coli and distal colon longitudinal muscle, but it was ineffective in the fundus circular muscle, proximal colon longitudinal muscle and distal colon circular muscle. It caused a small reduction of the relaxation of the ileal circular muscle caused reflexly by distension, but did not modify the similar descending inhibitory reflex in the circular muscle of the colon. It is concluded that apamin can be used to distinguish two types of non-noradrenergic transmission from enteric inhibitory nerves to gastrointestinal muscle. Furthermore, neither VIP nor ATP can be the sole transmitter chemical released from enteric inhibitory neurons throughout the gastrointestinal tract.     

毒死蜱对小鼠焦虑样行为以及肠道菌群的影响

目的 观察毒死蜱暴露致小鼠焦虑样行为及肠道菌群的影响,并探讨两者之间的关系。方法 30只8周龄雄性C57BL/6J小鼠,随机分为3组:对照组(CTL)、毒死蜱低剂量组(CPF2.5)和毒死蜱高剂量组(CPF5),分别灌胃植物油、毒死蜱2.5 mg/kg bw和毒死蜱5 mg/kg bw,1次/d,连续14 d。采用旷场实验(OFT)和高架十字迷宫实验(EPM)对小鼠焦虑样行为进行检测; 采用16S rDNA测序检测粪便肠道菌群变化; 用LEfSe筛选各组间差异菌群; 采用Spearman分析研究肠道差异菌和焦虑样行为指标之间的相关性。结果 与CTL相比,CPF2.5和CPF5小鼠进入旷场中心次数减少(F=6.404,P=0.042,P=0.002),在开臂的活动路程百分比、开臂停留时间百分比以及进入开臂次数百分比均降低(F=8.525,P=0.002,P=0.002; F=17.486,P<0.001, P<0.001; F=4.751,P=0.023,P=0.010),以上差异均有统计学意义。LEfSe 多级物种差异判别分析结果显示,Dubosiella、Muribaculum、Akkermansia等菌在对照组富集; Odoribacter、PrevotellaceaeUCG_001菌在CPF2.5组富集; Proteobacteria、Rhizobiaceae、Ochrobactrum、Rhizobiales菌在CPF5组富集。Spearman相关分析结果表明,Muribaculum与EPM开臂活动路程百分比和开臂停留时间百分比呈正相关(r=0.506, P=0.012; r=0.455, P=0.025),Odoribacter和EPM开臂停留时间百分比呈负相关(r=-0.486, P=0.016)。结论 毒死蜱暴露后引起的小鼠焦虑样行为改变可能与特定的肠道菌群丰度(Muribaculum和Odoribacter)改变相关。     

慢溃宁方对DSS诱导溃疡性结肠炎小鼠NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD细胞焦亡通路和肠道菌群的影响

目的 探讨慢溃宁方对葡聚糖硫酸钠（DSS）诱导的溃疡性结肠炎（UC）小鼠肠道菌群的调控作用,和对NOD样受体（NLR）P3/胱天蛋白酶（Caspase）-1/Gasdermin D（GSDMD）细胞焦亡通路所介导炎症的影响。方法 SPF级C57BL/6小鼠60只,随机分为空白组、模型组、慢溃宁方组（20 g·kg^-1）、美沙拉秦组（0.266 g·kg^-1）,各组15只。小鼠通过自由饮用3%DSS溶液,7 d构建UC模型。造模开始12 h后,治疗组每天灌胃给药,其余组灌胃等体积生理盐水。记录小鼠每日体质量等情况,并评估计算疾病活动指数（DAI）。第8天麻醉后,脱臼颈椎处死小鼠,收集结肠和粪便,记量结肠长度;观察结肠组织苏木素-伊红（HE）染色后的病理学改变;结肠中肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白细胞介素-1β（IL-1β）、白细胞介素-18（IL-18）水平用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）检测;基于16S rRNA测序技术检测各组小鼠粪便中肠道菌群的差异;NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD蛋白结肠组织中含量用蛋白免疫印迹法（Western blot）检测。结果 相较于空白组,模型组小鼠的DAI升高（P<0.01）,结肠长度显著缩短（P<0.01）,结肠黏膜损伤严重,TNFα、IL-1β、IL-18水平均明显升高（P<0.01）,且结肠组织中NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD蛋白含量显著升高（P<0.01）,肠道菌群结构改变,门水平上的放线菌门、拟杆菌门与变形菌门丰度减少,厚壁菌门丰度增加;属水平上的乳酸杆菌、普雷沃氏菌和鼠杆菌属丰度减少,拟杆菌属、芽孢杆菌、毛螺旋菌属NK4A136丰度增加。慢溃宁方组、美沙拉秦组相较于模型组,第3天后DAI显著降低（P<0.01）,结肠长度均显著增加（P<0.01）,结肠的炎症浸润及黏膜结构损伤减轻,且结肠TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-18水平均显著下降（P<0.01）,NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD蛋白在结肠组织中的含量明显降低（P<0.05,P<0.01）,门水平上的变形菌门和拟杆菌门丰度增加,厚壁菌门丰度减少。结论 慢溃宁方可通过抑制细胞经典焦亡通路,缓解UC小鼠结肠炎症反应,减轻结肠损伤,并对肠道菌群紊乱有改善作用。