Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How inflammatory bowel disease changes nerve fibers in dogs' gut
By Rychlik, Andrzej et al.·Published in Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire·2017·Department of Clinical Diagnostics (Rychlik·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inflammatory bowel disease affects density of nitrergic nerve fibers in the mucosal layer of the canine gastrointestinal tract.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of German shepherd hybrid dogs with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) showed changes in their gut nerve fibers. The study found that as the severity of IBD increased, so did the number of specific nerve fibers in their intestines. This suggests that the condition affects the nerve structure in the gastrointestinal tract, which could help vets assess how severe the IBD is in dogs. However, the exact reasons for these changes are still not fully understood, indicating that more research is needed.
People also search for: dog inflammatory bowel disease symptoms · German shepherd IBD treatment · how to manage dog gut health
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the density of nitrergic nerve fibers in the mucosal layer of different sections of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs. Twenty-eight German shepherd hybrid dogs of both sexes, weighing from 15 to 25 kg and aged 6 to 10 y, were studied. The dogs were divided into 4 groups with 7 animals in each group: healthy animals, as well as dogs suffering from mild, moderate, and severe IBD. Immunoreactivity to neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase, which is a marker of nitrergic neurons, in samples of the mucosal layer in the duodenum, jejunum, and descending colon was studied using the single immunofluorescence method and the number of nerve fibers was evaluated in each observation field. The obtained results showed that IBD causes an increase in the number of nitrergic nerve fibers in all intestinal segments studied and these changes are directly proportional to the intensity of the disease process. These observations may be useful in diagnostic evaluation of the stage of canine inflammatory bowel disease in veterinary practice. The pathological mechanisms of these observed changes and the specific reasons for them are still not completely explained, however, and further study is required.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28408781/