Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript immunoreactive nerve fibres in the mucosal layer of the canine gastrointestinal tract under physiological conditions and in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the density of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) immunoreactive nerve fibres in the mucosa of different sections of the gastrointestinal tract. Fibre density was analysed in mucosal specimens from the duodenum, jejunum and descending colon of healthy dogs and patients with inflammatory bowel disease of varying intensity. Nervous fibres were stained in single-cell immunofluorescence assays. The density of CART-immunoreactive fibres was determined using a semi-quantitative approach by counting the number of fibres in the field of view (0.1 mm2). An increase in the density of CART-immunoreactive fibres was observed in dogs with moderate and severe IBD in comparison with healthy subjects. The results suggest that the presence of CART in enteric nerve fibres could play a role in the pathogenesis and development of canine IBD.

Keywords

• immunohistochemistry
• digestive tract
• nervous system
• dogs