Inflammation- and axotomy-induced changes in cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide-like immunoreactive (CART-LI) nervous structures in the porcine descending colon.

This study reports on changes in CART-like immunoreactive (CART-LI) nerve structures in the porcine descending colon during chemically driven inflammation and after axotomy. The distribution pattern of CART-LI nerve structures was studied using doublelabeling immunofluorescence technique in the circular muscle layer, myenteric (MP), outer submucous (OSP) and inner submucous plexuses (ISP) and also in the mucosal layer of the porcine descending colon in physiological conditions as well as under pathological factors. In the control animals, CART-LI perikarya have been shown to constitute 5.11% +/- 0.64, 4.03% +/- 1.17 and 0.05% +/- 0.04 in MP, OSP and ISP, respectively. Changes in CART-immunoreactivity depended on the pathological factor and the part of the enteric nervous system (ENS) studied. Numbers of CART-LI perikarya amounted to 2.77% +/- 0.64, 2.60% +/- 0.36 and 0.26% +/- 0.19 during chemically-induced colitis and 3.04% +/- 0.88, 2.46% +/- 0.8 and 0.43% +/- 0.09 after axotomy in MP, OSP and ISP, respectively. Both studied pathological processes also caused an increase in the number of CART-LI nerve fibers in the circular muscle as well as in the mucosal layer.