Age-related changes in neurons containing neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the colon of rats

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The density of both terminals in the circular muscle of the intestine increases sharply in the first 10 days of life. However, the age-related aspects of neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) expression in metasympathetic intramural enteric ganglia remain unclear.

AIM: To identify the localization, percentage, and morphometric characteristics of nNOS-immunoreactive (IR) neurons in the intramural ganglia of the myenteric plexus (MP) and submucous plexus (SP) of the large intestine of rats of different age groups.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study examined Wistar rats aged 1, 10, 20, 30, and 60 days and 2 years using immunohistochemical methods.

RESULTS: nNOS-IR neurons were found in the large intestine at birth and during the remaining periods. In the intramural ganglia of the MP, the largest percentage of nNOS-IR neurons was detected in newborn rats and decreased in ontogenesis up to 60 days of life and did not change until senescence. In the SP, nNOS-IR neurons were abundant in newborns, the percentage decreased significantly by day 20, and they were not detected in days 30 and 60, but again appeared in large numbers in older rats. The average cross-sectional area of nNOS-IR neurons increased in the MP from birth during the first 2 months of life. In the SP, the average size of nNOS-IR cells increased in the first 30 days of life and became significantly larger in old rats than in rats of other ages.

CONCLUSIONS: The expression of nNOS in intramural nodes’ neurons in the large intestine decreased in early postnatal ontogenesis and subsequently increased in aged rats.

Keywords

rats / neuronal NO synthase / nNOS / intramural ganglia / large intestine / ontogenesis

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