Role of nitric oxide in the impairment of circular muscle contractility of distended, uninflamed mid-colon in TNBS-induced acute distal colitis in rats

AIM: To evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the motor disorders of the dilated uninflamed mid-colon (DUMC)from trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced acute distal colitis in rats.METHODS: Colitis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by a single intracolonic administration of TNBS.Control rats received an enema of 0.9% saline. The rats were killed 48 h after TNBS or saline administration.Macroscopic and histologic lesions of the colon were evaluated. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity were measured on the colonic tissue. In TNBS rats, we evaluated spontaneous and evoked contractile activity in circular muscle strips derived from DUMC in comparison to the same colonic segment of control rats, both in the presence and in the absence of a non-selective NOS isoforms inhibitor N-nitro-Larginine (L-NNA). Pharmacological characterization of electric field stimulation (EFS)-evoked contractile responses was also performed.RESULTS: In TNBS rats, the distal colon showed severe histological lesions and a high MPO activity, while the DUMC exhibited normal histology and MPO activity.Constitutive NOS activity was similar in TNBS and control rats, whereas inducible NOS activity was significantly increased only in the injured distal colon of TNBS rats.Isometrically recorded mechanical activity of circular muscle strips from DUMC of TNBS rats showed a marked reduction of the force and frequency of spontaneous contractions compared to controls, as well as of the contractile responses to a contracting stimulus. In the presence of L-NNA, the contractile activity and responses displayed a significantly greater enhancement compared to controls. The pharmacological characterization of EFS contractile responses showed that a cooperative-like interaction between cholinergic muscarinic and tachykinergic neurokinin 1 and 2 receptors mediated transmission in DUMC of TNBS rats vs a simple additive interaction in controls.CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that, during TNBS-induced acute distal colitis, circular muscle intrinsic contractile mechanisms and possible enteric neural excitatory activity are inhibited in the distended uninflamed mid-colon. Suppression of NO synthesis markedly improves spontaneous and evokes muscle contractions, in spite of any evident change in local NO activity.

The emerging role of probiotics in neurodegenerative diseases:new hope for Parkinson’s disease?

Neurodegenerative disease etiology is still unclear,but different contributing factors,such as lifestyle and genetic factors are involved.Altered components of the gut could play a key role in the gut-brain axis,which is a bidirectional system between the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system.Variations in the composition of the gut microbiota and its function between healthy people and patients have been reported for a variety of human disorders comprising metabolic,autoimmune,cancer,and,notably,neurodegenerative disorders.Diet can alter the microbiota composition,affecting the gutbrain axis function.Different nutraceutical interventions have been devoted to normalizing gut microbiome dysbiosis and to improving biological outcomes in neurological conditions,including the use of probiotics.Preclinical and clinical investigations discussed in this review strengthen the correlation between intestinal microbiota and brain and the concept that modifying the microbiome composition may improve brain neurochemistry,modulating different pathways.This review will discuss the potential use of probiotics for Parkinson’s disease prevention or treatment or as adjuvant therapy,confirming that gut microbiota modulation influences different pro-survival pathways.Future investigations in Parkinson’s disease should consider the role of the gut-brain axis and additional comprehension of the underlying mechanisms is extremely necessary.