Adaptive changes of the enterochromaffin and gastrin cells in the rat gastrointestinal tract following subtotal colectomy

• Objective. Colectomized patients often have diarrhoea and increased gastric acid secretion. Although serotonin influences gastrointestinal (GI) motility and secretion, GI serotonin-producing enterochromaffin (EC) cells have not been investigated after colectomy, nor have the antral gastrin cells. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the GI tract in rats 8 weeks after subtotal colectomy, with particular emphasis on the frequency and distribution of EC and gastrin cells. Material and methods. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to identify the two endocrine cell types. Results. The colectomized animals had diarrhoea. Body-weight was lower and the small intestine shorter in the colectomized animals compared with sham-operated and untreated controls. In the two surgically treated groups, the antral mucosa was thinner and the small intestinal mucosa was thicker compared with that of the untreated rats, whereas the thickness of the rectum of the colectomized rats was increased compared with that of the control groups. In the colectomized animals, the number of EC cells was increased in the small intestine and rectum, whereas the numbers of both EC and gastrin cells were decreased in the antrum. Conclusions. The results indicate that colectomy exerts a significant influence on the GI mucosa and on the endocrine cell systems studied. An increased number of EC cells can result in alterations in motility and secretion, which may be important in the pathogenesis of the diarrhoea that often occurs after colectomy.

Nyckelord

colectomy

enterochromaffin cells

gastrin cells

gastrointestinal tract

rat

serotonin

MEDICINE

MEDICIN

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