Pathological changes of glial cells in the enteric nervous system of the colon with chronic slow-transit constipation

The origin, development and differentiation of enteric nervous system neuroglia and its involvement in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases and neurodegenerative diseases have been little studied.

Aim of this work is a comparative morphological study of glial cells in the ganglionic plexuses of the enteric nervous system and analysis of neuroglial relationships in chronic slow-transit constipation using immunohistochemical methods.

Material and methods. Resection material obtained at the Department of Faculty Surgery, S.P. Fedorov Faculty of Surgery of S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy during planned surgical operations was used. The objects of the study were fragments of the sigmoid and colon obtained as a result of surgery for chronic slow-transit constipation (five cases, women aged 37–40 years). The study was carried out using immunohistochemical glial markers (GFAP, S100β protein, etc.).

Results. Two types of glia were found in the myenteric ganglionic plexus of the large intestine: astrocyte-like and neurolemmocytic. The astrocyte-like type is similar to the neuroglia of the central nervous system, the neurolemmocytic type is similar to the glia of the autonomic nervous system. It has been established that astrocyte-like glia is found only in the Aauerbach ganglionic plexus, while neurolemmocytes are found in all innervated tissues of the intestinal wall. Reactive, dystrophic and degenerative changes in neurocytes, glial elements, agangliogenosis in the Auerbach plexus were found in all cases of chronic slow-transit constipation. Destructive changes in the neuromuscular terminal plexuses, interstitial edema and inflammatory monocytic reaction and leukocyte infiltration in the intestinal mucosa and intestinal submucosa, found in several cases.

Conclusions. The results obtained allow classifying chronic slow-transit constipation as a neurodegenerative disease.

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