Lomax A E, Fernández E, Sharkey K A
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Gastrointestinal, Neuroscience and Mucosal Inflammation Research Groups, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2005 Feb;17(1):4-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2982.2004.00607.x.
Inflammation of the bowel causes structural and functional changes to the enteric nervous system (ENS). While morphological alterations to the ENS are evident in some inflammatory conditions, it appears that relatively subtle modifications to the neurophysiology of enteric microcircuits may play a role in gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction. These include changes to the excitability and synaptic properties of enteric neurones. The response of the ENS to inflammation varies according to the site and type of inflammation, with the functional consequences depending on the nature of the inflammatory stimulus. It has become clear that inflammation at one site can produce changes that occur at remotes sites in the GI tract. Immunohistochemical data from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and animal models indicate that inflammation alters the neurochemical content of some functional classes of enteric neurones. A growing body of evidence supports an active role for enteric glia in neuronal and neuroimmune communication in the GI tract, particularly during inflammation. In conclusion, plasticity of the ENS is a feature of intestinal inflammation. Elucidation of the mechanisms whereby inflammation alters enteric neural control of GI functions may lead to novel treatments for IBD.
肠道炎症会导致肠神经系统（ENS）发生结构和功能变化。虽然在某些炎症状态下ENS的形态改变很明显，但肠内微回路神经生理学相对细微的改变似乎在胃肠（GI）功能障碍中起作用。这些改变包括肠神经元兴奋性和突触特性的变化。ENS对炎症的反应因炎症部位和类型而异，其功能后果取决于炎症刺激的性质。很明显，一个部位的炎症会在胃肠道的远处部位产生变化。来自炎症性肠病（IBD）患者和动物模型的免疫组织化学数据表明，炎症会改变某些功能类别的肠神经元的神经化学含量。越来越多的证据支持肠神经胶质细胞在胃肠道神经元和神经免疫通讯中发挥积极作用，尤其是在炎症期间。总之，ENS的可塑性是肠道炎症的一个特征。阐明炎症改变胃肠功能的肠神经控制的机制可能会带来IBD的新治疗方法。
