Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Distribution and quantitation of gut neuropeptides in normal intestine and inflammatory bowel diseases

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To study hyperplasia of peptidergic nerves purported to be diagnostic of Crohn's disease, we determined the distribution and concentrations of gut neuropeptides in specimens of normal intestine, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. Tissue specimens obtained at surgery were dissected into the mucosal-submucosal and muscularis externa layers, and immunoreactive gut neuropeptides were acid-extracted for measurement by radioimmunoassay. The immunoreactive species were characterized by column chromatography. Mucosal-submucosal layer concentrations of vasoactive intestinal peptide were significantly decreased in Crohn's colitis and ulcerative colitis, while mucosal-submucosal layer concentrations of substance P were significantly increased in left-sided ulcerative colitis. Muscularis externa layer concentrations of vasoactive intestinal peptide and met5-enkephalin were decreased in left-sided Crohn's colitis. These neuropeptide concentration abnormalities did not clearly differentiate between Crohn's colitis and ulcerative colitis, and no increase in concentration of a neuropeptide diagnostic of Crohn's disease was identified.

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. Storsteen KA, Kernohan JW, Bargen JA: The myenteric plexus in chronic ulcerative colitis. Surg Gynecol Obstet 97:335–343, 1953

    Google Scholar 

  2. Davis DR, Dockerty MB, Mayo CW: The myenteric plexus in regional enteritis: A study of the number of ganglion cells in the ileum in 24 cases. Surg Gynecol Obstet 101:208–216, 1955

    Google Scholar 

  3. McInerney GT, Sauer WG, Baggenstoss AH, Hodgson JR: Fulminating ulcerative colitis with marked colonic dilation: A clinicopathologic study. Gastroenterology 42:244–257, 1962

    Google Scholar 

  4. Okamoto E, Kakutani T, Iwasaki T, Namba M, Ueda T: Morphological studies on the myenteric plexus of the colon in chronic ulcerative colitis. Med J Osaka Univ 15:85–105, 1964

    Google Scholar 

  5. Riemann JF, Schmidt H: Ultrastructural changes in the gut autonomic nervous system following laxative abuse and other conditions. Scand J Gastroenterol (Suppl) 71:111–124, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dvorak AM, Osage JE, Monahan RA, Dickersin GR: Crohn's disease: Transmission electron microscopic studies. III. Target tissues. Proliferation of and injury to smooth muscle and the autonomic nervous system. Hum Pathol 11:620–634, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dvorak AM, Silen W: Differentiation between Crohn's disease and other inflammatory conditions by electron microscopy. Ann Surg 201:53–63, 1985

    Google Scholar 

  8. Schultzberg M, Hokfelt T, Nilsson G, Terenius L, Rehfeld JF, Brown M, Elde R, Goldstein M, Said S: Distribution of peptide and catecholamine-containing neurons in the gastrointestinal tract of rat and guinea pig: Immunohistochemical studies with antisera to substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide, enkephalins, somatostatin, gastrin/cholecystokinin, neurotensin, and dopamine β-hydroxylase. Neuroscience 5:689–744, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  9. Probert L, De Mey J, Polak JM: Ultrastructural localization of four different neuropeptides within separate populations of p-type nerves in the guinea pig colon. Gastroenterology 85:1094–1104, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ferri G-L, Adrian TE, Ghatei MA, O'Shaughnessy DJ, Probert L, Lee YC, Buchan AMJ, Polak JM, Bloom SR: Tissue localization and relative distribution of regulatory peptides in separated layers from the human bowel. Gastroenterology 84:777–786, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  11. Polak JM, Bloom SR, Sullivan SN, Facer P, Pearse AGE: Enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in the human gastrointestinal tract. Lancet 1:972–974, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  12. Schultzberg M, Dreyfus CF, Gershon MD, Hokfelt T, Elde RP, Nilsson G, Said S, Goldstein M: VIP-, enkephalin-, substance P-, and somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in neurons intrinsic to the intestine: Immunohistochemical evidence from organotypic tissue cultures. Brain Res 155:239–248, 1978

    Google Scholar 

  13. Jessen KR: Removal of the ganglionated plexuses from the gut wall: Advantages for studies of the enteric nervous system. Scand J Gastroenterol (Suppl) 71:91–102, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  14. Polak JM, Ghatei MA, Wharton J, Bishop AE, Bloom SR, Solcia E, Brown MR, Pearse AGE: Bombesin-like immunoreactivity in the gastrointestinal tract, lung, and central nervous system. Scand J Gastroenterol (Suppl) 49:148, 1978

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kubota M, Koch TR, Telander RL, Kaufman B, Go VLW, Szurszewski JH: Inhibitory innervation of the aganglionic segment in Hirschsprung's disease. Gastroenterology 88: 1458, 1985

    Google Scholar 

  16. Bishop AE, Polak JM, Bryant MG, Bloom SR, Hamilton S: Abnormalities of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-containing nerves in Crohn's disease. Gastroenterology 79:853–860, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  17. O'Morain C, Bishop AE, McGregor GP, Levi AJ, Bloom SR, Polak JM, Peters TJ: Vasoactive intestinal peptide concentrations and immunocytochemical studies in rectal biopsies from patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Gut 25:56–61, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  18. Sjolund K, Schaffalitzky De Muckadell OB, Fahrenkrug J, Hakanson R, Peterson BG, Sundler F: Peptide-containing nerve fibres in the gut wall in Crohn's disease. Gut 24:724–733, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  19. Angel F, Schmalz PF, Morgan KG, Go VLW, Szurszewski JH: Innervation of the muscularis mucosa in the canine stomach and colon. Scand J Gastroenterol (Suppl) 71:71–75, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  20. Robinson G, Dawson I: A formalin fixative for immunochemical and ultrastructural studies on gastrointestinal endocrine cells. J Clin Pathol 32:40–45, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  21. Yaksh TL, Abay EO II, Go VLW: Studies on the location and release of cholecystokinin and vasoactive intestinal peptide in rat and cat spinal cord. Brain Res 242:279–290, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  22. Mainland D: The Treatment of Clinical and Laboratory Data. Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd Ltd, 1938

    Google Scholar 

  23. Jhamandas K, Yaksh TL, Go VLW: Acute and chronic morphine modifies the in vivo release of methionine enkephalin-like immunoreactivity from the cat spinal cord and brain. Brain Res 297:91–103, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  24. Micevych PE, Yaksh TL, Go VLW: Opiate-mediated inhibition of the release of cholecystokinin and substance P, but not neurotensin from cat hypothalamic slices. Brain Res 250:283–289, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  25. Angel F, Go VLW, Szurszewski JH: Innervation of the muscularis mucosae of canine proximal colon. J Physiol (London) 297:91–103, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  26. Koch TR, Cave DR, Kirsner JB: Histofluorescent and radioenzymatic analyses of colonic catecholamines. J Auton Nerv Sys 11:383–391, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  27. Dupont C, Navarro J, Chenut B, Rosselin G: Modifications of VIP intestinal content associated with abnormal nervous myenteric plexus: A biologic feature of chronic intestinal obstruction. J Pediatr 96:1037–1039, 1980

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gastroenterology Unit and Department of Pathology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 55905, Rochester, Minnesota

    Timothy R. Koch MD, J. Aidan Carney MD, PhD & Liang W. Vay Go MD

Authors
  1. Timothy R. Koch MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Aidan Carney MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Liang W. Vay Go MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Koch, T.R., Carney, J.A. & Vay Go, L.W. Distribution and quantitation of gut neuropeptides in normal intestine and inflammatory bowel diseases. Digest Dis Sci 32, 369–376 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01296290

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01296290

Key words

Search

Navigation