Relations between Leu5-enkephalin- (LENK) and VIP-immunoreactive nerve fibres during human drug-resistant colitis. A case study

The double immunofluorescence technique was used to examine the distribution and interrelationship between LENK- and VIP-immunoreactive nerve fibres within the muscle layer and myenteric plexus of the large intestine in a young female patient (aged 17 years) suffering from colitis ulcerosa activa (CUA). As the CUA was found to be totally drug-resistant, a pancolotomy was performed by means of the Soave technique. Varicose nerve fibres, immunoreactive either to LENK or VIP, but not to both substances simultaneously, were found in all fragments of the bowel studied. A striking feature was their distribution pattern within the studied layers. In all cases LENK-IR fibres were closely accompanied by VIP-IR terminals. The density of the examined fibres depended on the bowel fragment studied, and was the greatest in the sigmoid colon, descending colon and rectum, while the lowest number was found in the caecum. The results of the present study may thus be indicative for the involvement of LENK- and VIPIR nerve fibres in the control of bowel functions during CUA, possibly on the basis of a "cross-talk" between terminals running in close vicinity to each other

The influence of experimental Bacteroides fragilis infection on substance P and somatostatin-immunoreactive neural elements in the porcine ascending colon - a preliminary report

The present study was aimed at disclosing the influence of Bacteroides fragilis (one of the most important bacterial agents causing colitis in children) experimental infection on the expression of substance P (SP) and somatostatin (SOM) in neurons and nerve fibres within the porcine ascending colon. Distinct differences in the distribution pattern of neural elements immunoreactive to the substances studied were observed between the experimental (Inflam) and control (Contr) pigs. In general, the number of SP-IR neurons and nerve terminals increased, while the expression of SOM decreased after Bacteroides fragilis-induced colitis (BFIC). However, distinct differences in the intensity of these alterations were observed between particular compartments of the bowel segment studied. Thus, the present results suggest that SP- and SOM-immunoreactive (SOM-IR) elements of the enteric nervous system play a part in the control of colonic activity during BFIC

Influence of bisphenol A and its analog bisphenol S on cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide–positive enteric neurons in the mouse gastrointestinal tract

IntroductionBisphenol A (BPA) is used in large quantities for the production of plastics and is present in various everyday objects. It penetrates living organisms and shows multidirectional adverse influence on many internal organs. For this reason, BPA is often replaced in plastic production by other substances. One of them is bisphenol S (BPS), whose effects on the enteric nervous system (ENS) have not been explained.MethodsTherefore, the present study compares the influence of BPA and BPS on the number of enteric neurons immunoreactive to cocaine-and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide located in the ENS of the stomach, jejunum and colon with the use of double immunofluorescence method.ResultsThe obtained results have shown that both bisphenols studied induced an increase in the number of CART-positive enteric neurons, and the severity of changes depended on the type of enteric ganglion, the dose of bisphenols and the segment of the digestive tract. The most visible changes were noted in the myenteric ganglia in the colon. Moreover, in the colon, the changes submitted by BPS are more noticeable than those observed after BPA administration. In the stomach and jejunum, bisphenol-induced changes were less visible, and changes caused by BPS were similar or less pronounced than those noted under the impact of BPA, depending on the segment of the gastrointestinal tract and ganglion type studied.DiscussionThe results show that BPS affects the enteric neurons containing CART in a similar way to BPA, and the BPS impact is even stronger in the colon. Therefore, BPS is not neutral for the gastrointestinal tract and ENS

Assessment of exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in dogs by fur analysis

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large group of chemicals commonly used in various branches of industry, which may adversely affect the living organisms. The aim of this study were to evaluate exposure of dogs to six selected PFASs: five perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (perfluorobutanoic acid - PFBuA, perfluoropentanoic acid - PFPeA, perfluorohexanoic acid - PFHxA, perfluoroheptanoic acid - PFHpA, perfluorooctanoic acid – PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) through the analysis of fur samples. To our knowledge this is the first study concerning the use of fur samples to evaluation of exposure of domestic animals to PFASs. Relationship between PFASs concentration and age, gender and body weight of animals was also evaluated. Fur samples were collected from 30 dogs living in Olsztyn (Poland). All PFASs studied were detected in the canine fur samples. The highest concentrations were observed in the case of PFOA and PFBuA, detected at concentrations in the range between 1.51 and 66.7 ng/g and 0.98–26.6 ng/g, respectively. During the present study generally no statistically significant differences dependent on gender, age and body weight of animals were found. This study confirms the suitability of fur samples for biomonitoring of exposure to PFASs in domestic animals, what may be important in veterinary toxicology.Minister of Science and Higher Education in the range of the program entitled “Regional Initiative of Excellence” for the years 2019–2022, project No. 010/RID/2018/1

Biomonitoring parabens in dogs using fur sample analysis – Preliminary studies

Parabens are widely used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry and are widespread in the environment. As endocrine disruptors, parabens have adverse effects on living organisms. However, knowledge of the exposure of domestic animals to parabens is extremely scarce. Therefore, this study assessed the exposure level of dogs to three parabens commonly used in industry (i.e. methylparaben - MeP, ethylparaben - EtP and propylparaben - PrP) using fur sample analysis in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The presence of parabens has been noted in the samples collected from all dogs included in the study (n = 30). Mean concentrations of MeP, EtP and PrP in the fur of dogs were 176 (relative standard deviation – RSD = 127.48%) ng/g dry weight (dw), 48.4 (RSD = 163.64%) ng/g dw and 79.8 ng/g dw (RSD = 151.89%), respectively. The highest concentrations were found for MeP (up to 1023 ng/g dw). Concentrations of MeP and EtP in males were statistically higher than those in females (p < 0.05). Statistically significantly higher concentration levels of PrP in young animals (up to three years old) were also found. This is the first study concerning the use of fur samples to evaluate the exposure of domestic animals to parabens. The results indicate that an analysis of the fur may be a useful tool of paraben biomonitoring in dogs. The presence of parabens in the canine fur also suggests that these substances may play a role in veterinary toxicology. However, many aspects connected with this issue are not clear and require further study

Multiclass method to determine emerging pollutants in bats using a non-invasive approach based on guano matrix

Emerging pollutants have been ubiquitously found in environmental compartments, while there is scarce information about these substances and their effects on health status in wild terrestrial mammals. Bat species are very sensitive animals to any changes in the environment and are considered one of the best bioindicators of the quality of the environment to terrestrial wildlife. To acquire a better knowledge of the environmental exposure to these animals, a multiclass method is proposed to determine 20 emerging pollutants (six perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), four parabens (PB), four benzophenones (BP), a plasticizer (BPA), and five surfactants (four linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and nonylphenol (NP)) in bats using a non-invasive approach based on guano matrix. Sample treatment involved ultrasonic solvent extraction and dispersive solid phase extraction prior to analysis in a single run with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The main variables affecting the extraction and clean-up steps were evaluated using single and multivariate strategies. Under the optimized conditions, satisfactory analytical characteristics in terms of linearity, recoveries (>80 %), precision (RSD < 24 %) and method quantification limits (from 0.01 to 64 ng/g dry weight) were obtained. Furthermore, and as a proof of concept, guano samples from a bat reference population were collected from a colony located in Brenna village, in south Poland. The results confirm the exposure of wild bats to emerging pollutants (LAS, PFAS, and PB compounds were frequently detected in the samples) and the suitability of the bat guano matrix for understanding the environmental exposure in terrestrial mammals

The influence of selected pathological states on the somatostatin-like immunoreactive (SOM-LI) endocrine cells in the mucosal layer of the porcine descending colon

This study reports on changes in the number of somatostatin-like immunoreactive (SOM-LI) endocrine cells in the porcine descending colon, caused by chemically driven inflammation, axotomy and proliferative enteropathy (PE). The distribution pattern of SOM-LI endocrine cells has been studied using the routine single-labelling immunofluorescence technique. Semi-quantitative evaluation of the number of the SOM-immunostained endocrine cells within the mucosal layer of the porcine descending colon has been based on counting of all endocrine cells immunoreactive to SOM per unit area (0,1 mm²). Under physiological conditions the number of SOM-LI endocrine cells has been shown to constitute 3,30±0,22. All applied pathological processes resulted in changes in the SOM-like immunoreactivity, which varied in particular processes studied. The number of SOM-LI endocrine cells increased to 6,28±0,31 and 4,43±0,35 during chemically driven inflammation and proliferative enteropathy, respectively, and decreased to 1,17%±0,16 after axotomy. The obtained results suggest that SOM-LI endocrine cells may participate in various pathological states within porcine descending colon and their functions probably depend on the type of pathological factor