The Influence of Bisphenol A (BPA) on the Occurrence of Selected Active Substances in Neuregulin 1 (NRG1)-Positive Enteric Neurons in the Porcine Large Intestine

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a substance used in the manufacture of plastics which shows multidirectional adverse effects on living organisms. Since the main path of intoxication with BPA is via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the stomach and intestine are especially vulnerable to the impact of this substance. One of the main factors participating in the regulation of intestinal functions is the enteric nervous system (ENS), which is characterized by high neurochemical diversity. Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is one of the lesser-known active substances in the ENS. During the present study (performed using the double immunofluorescence method), the co-localization of NRG1 with other neuronal substances in the ENS of the caecum and the ascending and descending colon has been investigated under physiological conditions and after the administration of BPA. The obtained results indicate that NRG1-positive neurons also contain substance P, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, a neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase and galanin and the degree of each co-localization depend on the type of enteric plexus and the particular fragment of the intestine. Moreover, it has been shown that BPA generally increases the degree of co-localization of NRG1 with other substances.

Enteric plexus neuropathy associated with PD-L1 blockade in a patient with small-cell lung cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the management of patients with cancer. The increasing use of these agents has brought up a new set of adverse events which are widely heterogenous and potentially life-threatening. Rare immune-related adverse events associated with nervous system have not been described thoroughly, but their early recognition and management may be crucial. Immune-related autonomic neuropathy may be presented with a constellation of symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal and urinary complaints, to sweating and hypotension. Intestinal pseudo-obstruction as consequence of immune-related myenteric autonomic neuropathy is an under-recognized, not-well described and potentially fatal adverse event. We herein, present a unique case of enteric plexus neuropathy induced by PD-L1 blockade in a patient with small-cell lung cancer.

Changes in Immunoreactivity of Sensory Substances within the Enteric Nervous System of the Porcine Stomach during Experimentally Induced Diabetes

One of the most frequently reported disorders associated with diabetes is gastrointestinal (GI) disturbance. Although pathogenesis of these complications is multifactorial, the complicity of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in this respect has significant importance. Therefore, this paper analysed changes in substance P- (SP-), calcitonin gene-related peptide- (CGRP-), and leu5-enkephalin- (L-ENK-) like immunoreactivity (LI) in enteric stomach neurons caused by chemically induced diabetes in a porcine model. Using double immunofluorescent labelling, it was found that acute hyperglycaemia led to significant changes in the chemical coding of stomach enteric neurons. Generally, the response to artificially inducted diabetes depended on the “kind” of enteric plexus as well as the stomach region studied. A clear increase in the percentage of neurons immunoreactive to SP and CGRP was visible in the myenteric plexus (MP) in the antrum, corpus, and pylorus as well as in the submucosal plexus (SmP) in the corpus. For L-ENK, an increase in the number of L-ENK-LI neurons was observed in the MP of the antrum and SmP in the corpus, while in the MP of the corpus and pylorus, a decrease in the percentage of L-ENK-LI neurons was noted.