Postprandial morphological response of the intestinal epithelium of the Burmese python (Python molurus)

The postprandial morphological changes of the intestinal epithelium of Burmese pythons were examined using fasting pythons and at eight time points after feeding. In fasting pythons, tightly packed enterocytes possess very short microvilli and are arranged in a pseudostratified fashion. Enterocyte width increases by 23% within 24 h postfeeding, inducing significant increases in villus length and intestinal mass. By 6 days postfeeding, enterocyte volume had peaked, following as much as an 80% increase. Contributing to enterocyte hypertrophy is the cellular accumulation of lipid droplets at the tips and edges of the villi of the proximal and middle small intestine, but which were absent in the distal small intestine. At 3 days postfeeding, conventional and environmental scanning electron microscopy revealed cracks and lipid extrusion along the narrow edges of the villi and at the villus tips. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated the rapid postprandial lengthening of enterocyte microvilli, increasing 4.8-fold in length within 24 h, and the maintaining of that length through digestion. Beginning at 24 h postfeeding, spherical particles were found embedded apically within enterocytes of the proximal and middle small intestine. These particles possessed an annular-like construction and were stained with the calcium-stain Alizarine red S suggesting that they were bone in origin. Following the completion of digestion, many of the postprandial responses were reversed, as observed by the atrophy of enterocytes, the shortening of villi, and the retraction of the microvilli. Further exploration of the python intestine will reveal the underlying mechanisms of these trophic responses and the origin and fate of the engulfed particles

Intestinal gluconeogenesis and glucose transport according to body fuel availability in rats

Intestinal hexose absorption and gluconeogenesis have been studied in relation to refeeding after two different fasting phases: a long period of protein sparing during which energy expenditure is derived from lipid oxidation (phase II), and a later phase characterized by a rise in plasma corticosterone triggering protein catabolism (phase III). Such a switch in body fuel uses, leading to changes in body reserves and gluconeogenic precursors, could modulate intestinal gluconeogenesis and glucose transport. The gene and protein levels, and the cellular localization of the sodium-glucose cotransporter SGLT1, and of GLUT5 and GLUT2, as well as that of the key gluconeogenic enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (Glc6Pase) were measured. PEPCK and Glc6Pase activities were also determined. In phase III fasted rats, SGLT1 was up-regulated and intestinal glucose uptake rates were higher than in phase II fasted and fed rats. PEPCK and Glc6Pase mRNA, protein levels and activities also increased in phase III. GLUT5 and GLUT2 were down-regulated throughout the fast, but increased after refeeding, with GLUT2 recruited to the apical membrane. The increase in SGLT1 expression during phase III may allow glucose absorption at low concentrations as soon as food is available. Furthermore, an increased epithelial permeability due to fasting may induce a paracellular movement of glucose. In the absence of intestinal GLUT2 during fasting, Glc6Pase could be involved in glucose release to the bloodstream via membrane trafficking. Finally, refeeding triggered GLUT2 and GLUT5 synthesis and apical recruitment of GLUT2, to absorb larger amounts of hexoses

Morphological changes of the rat intestinal lining in relation to body stores depletion during fasting and after refeeding.

International audienceIntestinal villus atrophy through prolonged fasting was studied according to two different metabolic phases reached by fasting animals and characterized by (a) the mobilization of fat stores as body fuel and (b) an increase in protein catabolism for energy expenditure. The mechanisms involved in the rapid jejunal restoration after refeeding were also determined. Mucosal structural atrophy during fasting proved to worsen over the two phases due mainly to the retraction of the lacteals in the lamina propria, as observed through the immunolocalization of aquaporin 1 in the endothelial cells of the lymphatic vessels and the detachment of the basal membrane of the epithelial lining at the tip of the villi. Microvilli surface area is preserved through fasting, and apical PepT1 expression increases during both metabolic fasting phases. Refeeding after both fasting phases induces an increase in FATP4 accompanied by a rapid lipid uptake by the enterocytes at the tip of the villi and a rapid extension of the lamina propria due to inflated lymphatic vessels. These mechanisms were more prevalent in animals refed after the phase III fast and could be considered as the major processes allowing complete morphological restoration of the jejunum within only 3 days after refeeding

The effects of feeding on cell morphology and proliferation of the gastrointestinal tract of juvenile Burmese pythons (Python molurus)

International audienceFourati H., Manamanni N., Afilal L. & Handrich Y. (2010). A nonlinear filtering approach for the attitude and dynamic body acceleration estimation based on inertial and magnetic sensors: bio-logging application. IEEE Sensors Journal in press

Kaolinite ingestion facilitates restoration of body energy reserves during refeeding after prolonged fasting.

International audienceClay consumption is a spontaneous behavior currently observed in animals and humans, particularly during undernutrition. Often regarded as intestinal care products, ingested clays also enhance food efficiency, notably by increasing intestinal lipid uptake. Clay complementation could then optimize the reconstitution of energy reserves in animals with low lipid stocks consecutive to intensive fasting. The aim of this study was therefore to observe the effects of voluntarily kaolinite complementation during the refeeding of fasted rats to determine whether body mass, food uptake, lipid and mineral contents as intestinal morphology and protein profile were modified. This study examined two types of refeeding experiments after prolonged fasting. Firstly, rats with ad libitum access to food were compared to rats with ad libitum access to food and kaolinite pellets. Animals were randomly put into the different groups when the third phase of fasting (phase III) reached by each individual was detected. In a second set of experiments, rats starting phase III were refed with free access to food and kaolinite pellets. When animals had regained their body mass prior to fasting, they were euthanized for chemical, morphological, and proteomic analyses. Although kaolinite ingestion did not change the time needed for regaining prefasting body mass, daily food ingestion was seen to decrease by 6.8% compared with normally refed rats, without affecting lipid composition. Along the intestinal lining, enterocytes of complemented animals contained abundant lipid droplets and a structural modification of the brushborder was observed. Moreover, the expression of two apolipoproteins involved in lipid transport and satiety (ApoA-I and ApoA-IV) increased in complemented rats. These results suggest that kaolinite complementation favors intestinal nutrient absorption during refeeding despite reduced food uptake. Within the intestinal lumen, clay particles could increase the passive absorption capacity and/or nutrient availability that induce mucosal morphological changes. Therefore, clay ingestion appears to be beneficial for individuals undergoing extreme nutritional conditions such as refeeding and limited food supplies

Iron deposits turn blue shrimp gills to orange

In the grow-out ponds of the blue shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) farms of New Caledonia, animals with orange gills (OG) have been observed over the last ten years, with up to 70% of the shrimp in a given pond being affected. During the processing and marketing of the product, this coloring leads to reduced quality and selling prices, resulting in lower income for the producers concerned. Individual observations and transfer experiments led us to conclude that gill coloration intensity varies according to the intermolt stages, ranging from white in the postmolt stage to a deep orange in the premolt stage, which then disappeared after molting. Histological, biochemical studies and a semi-quantitative analysis by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM + EDX) showed that the coloration is due to layers of iron which settle on the gill tissue surface in a heterogeneous way. Because Cr and Co showed an increase in their concentrations on the whole orange gills but not at their surface, it is possible that elements were mobilized and transported (translocated) from the exoskeleton to the tissue. Animals kept out of contact with sediment show a decrease in OG intensity, suggesting a link with the sediment biogeochemistry. In grow-out ponds, orange gills first appeared in shrimp populations between 10 and 13 weeks after stocking and reached a maximum after 15 weeks. These findings are discussed with a view to identifying the environmental processes that lead to metal accumulation on gills

Interactions between ingested kaolinite and the intestinal mucosa in rat: proteomic and cellular evidences

International audienceAlthough some of the effects of clay ingestion by humans and animals, such as gastrointestinal wellness and the increase in food efficiency are well known, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the interactions between the intestinal mucosa and kaolinite particles and their effects on mucosal morphology were observed using light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), conventional (CSEM) and environmental (ESEM) scanning electron microscopy combined with an EDX micro-analysis system. Kaolinite consumption, given with free access to rats, varied considerably from one animal to the other but was regular through time for each individual. Some kaolinite particles appeared chemically dissociated in the lumen and within the mucus barrier. Aluminium originating from ingested clay and present in the mucus layer, could directly cross the intestinal mucosa. A significant increase in the thickness of the villi with large vacuoles at the base of the mucosal cells and a decrease in the length of enterocyte microvilli characterized complemented animals. The proteomic analyses of the intestinal mucosa of complemented rats also revealed several modifications in the expression level of cytoskeleton proteins. In summary, kaolinite particles ingested as food complement interact with the intestinal mucosa and modify nutrient absorption. However, these data, together with the potential neurotoxicity of aluminium, need further investigation

Description of the unusual digestive tract of Platax orbicularis and the potential impact of Tenacibaculum maritimum infection

Background Ephippidae fish are characterized by a discoid shape with a very small visceral cavity. Among them Platax orbicularis has a high economic potential due to its flesh quality and flesh to carcass ratio. Nonetheless, the development of its aquaculture is limited by high mortality rates, especially due to Tenacibaculum maritimum infection, occurring one to three weeks after the transfer of fishes from bio-secure land-based aquaculture system to the lagoon cages for growth. Among the lines of defense against this microbial infection, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is less studied. The knowledge about the morphofunctional anatomy of this organ in P. orbicularis is still scarce. Therefore, the aims of this study are to characterize the GIT in non-infected P. orbicularis juveniles to then investigate the impact of T. maritimum on this multifunctional organ. Methods In the first place, the morpho-anatomy of the GIT in non-infected individuals was characterized using various histological techniques. Then, infected individuals, experimentally challenged by T. maritimum were analysed and compared to the previously established GIT reference. Results The overlapped shape of the GIT of P. orbicularis is probably due to its constrained compaction in a narrow visceral cavity. Firstly, the GIT was divided into 10 sections, from the esophagus to the rectum. For each section, the structure of the walls was characterized, with a focus on mucus secretions and the presence of the Na+/K+ ATPase pump. An identification key allowing the characterization of the GIT sections using in toto histology is given. Secondly, individuals challenged with T. maritimum exhibited differences in mucus type and proportion and, modifications in the mucosal and muscle layers. These changes could induce an imbalance in the trade-off between the GIT functions which may be in favour of protection and immunity to the disadvantage of nutrition capacities