OBJECTIVES: Chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIIP) is a syndrome characterized by a failure of intestinal movement, but the cause of dysmotility remains unknown. Because interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are believed to initiate basic contractile activity of the gastrointestinal tract, there is a possibility that changes in ICCs are involved in the development of CIIP. ICCs express c-kit in mice, and it has been reported that the c-kit+ cells, the location and shape of which resemble those in mice, are detected in the human gastrointestinal muscular layer using immunohistochemistry. In the present study, we counted the number of c-kit+ cells in the affected intestine of two patients with myopathic form of CIIP and compared this number with the number of c-kit+ cells in the normal intestine. METHODS: The c-kit+ cells in the external muscle layer were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the number of them was counted under the microscope. Mast cells, which are known to express c-kit, were detected by staining with Alcian blue, and the number of them was also counted. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry revealed that the distribution pattern of c-kit+ cells resembles that of ICCs in the external muscle layer of normal control subjects. The numbers of c-kit+ cells apart from mast cells in two patients with myopathic form of CIIP decreased to about 3% of those in normal subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The failure of intestinal movement in patients with CIIP, at least in a subpopulation, might be related to a deficiency of c-kit+ cells, probably ICCs.
OBJECTIVES:Chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIIP) is a syndrome characterized by a failure of intestinal movement, but the cause of dysmotility remains unknown. Because interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are believed to initiate basic contractile activity of the gastrointestinal tract, there is a possibility that changes in ICCs are involved in the development of CIIP. ICCs express c-kit in mice, and it has been reported that the c-kit+ cells, the location and shape of which resemble those in mice, are detected in the human gastrointestinal muscular layer using immunohistochemistry. In the present study, we counted the number of c-kit+ cells in the affected intestine of two patients with myopathic form of CIIP and compared this number with the number of c-kit+ cells in the normal intestine. METHODS: The c-kit+ cells in the external muscle layer were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the number of them was counted under the microscope. Mast cells, which are known to express c-kit, were detected by staining with Alcian blue, and the number of them was also counted. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry revealed that the distribution pattern of c-kit+ cells resembles that of ICCs in the external muscle layer of normal control subjects. The numbers of c-kit+ cells apart from mast cells in two patients with myopathic form of CIIP decreased to about 3% of those in normal subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The failure of intestinal movement in patients with CIIP, at least in a subpopulation, might be related to a deficiency of c-kit+ cells, probably ICCs.
Authors: Elizabeth A H Beckett; Kazuhide Horiguchi; Mohammad Khoyi; Kenton M Sanders; Sean M Ward Journal: J Physiol Date: 2002-09-15 Impact factor: 5.182
Authors: P J Gomez-Pinilla; S J Gibbons; M G Sarr; M L Kendrick; K Robert Shen; R R Cima; E J Dozois; D W Larson; T Ordog; M J Pozo; G Farrugia Journal: Neurogastroenterol Motil Date: 2010-08-19 Impact factor: 3.598
Authors: G L Lyford; C-L He; E Soffer; T L Hull; S A Strong; A J Senagore; L J Burgart; T Young-Fadok; J H Szurszewski; G Farrugia Journal: Gut Date: 2002-10 Impact factor: 23.059