Feng Bin, Gebhart G F
Center for Pain Research, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh;
Center for Pain Research, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh.
J Vis Exp. 2015 Jan 21(95):52310. doi: 10.3791/52310.
This video demonstrates in detail an in vitro single-fiber electrophysiological recording protocol using a mouse colorectum-nerve preparation. The approach allows unbiased identification and functional characterization of individual colorectal afferents. Extracellular recordings of propagated action potentials (APs) that originate from one or a few afferent (i.e., single-fiber) receptive fields (RFs) in the colorectum are made from teased nerve fiber fascicles. The colorectum is removed with either the pelvic (PN) or lumbar splanchnic (LSN) nerve attached and opened longitudinally. The tissue is placed in a recording chamber, pinned flat and perfused with oxygenated Krebs solution. Focal electrical stimulation is used to locate the colorectal afferent endings, which are further tested by three distinct mechanical stimuli (blunt probing, mucosal stroking and circumferential stretch) to functionally categorize the afferents into five mechanosensitive classes. Endings responding to none of these mechanical stimuli are categorized as mechanically-insensitive afferents (MIAs). Both mechanosensitive and MIAs can be assessed for sensitization (i.e., enhanced response, reduced threshold, and/or acquisition of mechanosensitivity) by localized exposure of RFs to chemicals (e.g., inflammatory soup (IS), capsaicin, adenosine triphosphate (ATP)). We describe the equipment and colorectum-nerve recording preparation, harvest of colorectum with attached PN or LSN, identification of RFs in the colorectum, single-fiber recording from nerve fascicles, and localized application of chemicals to the RF. In addition, challenges of the preparation and application of standardized mechanical stimulation are also discussed.
本视频详细演示了一种使用小鼠结肠直肠 - 神经制备物的体外单纤维电生理记录方案。该方法能够对单个结肠直肠传入神经进行无偏识别和功能表征。从分离的神经纤维束记录源自结肠直肠中一个或几个传入(即单纤维)感受野(RF)的传播动作电位(AP)的细胞外记录。将附着有盆腔神经(PN)或腰内脏神经(LSN)的结肠直肠切除并纵向打开。将组织置于记录室中,平铺固定并用含氧的 Krebs 溶液灌注。使用局部电刺激来定位结肠直肠传入神经末梢,通过三种不同的机械刺激(钝性探查、黏膜抚摸和圆周拉伸)进一步测试,以将传入神经功能分类为五个机械敏感类别。对这些机械刺激均无反应的末梢被分类为机械不敏感传入神经(MIA)。通过将感受野局部暴露于化学物质(例如炎性介质混合物(IS)、辣椒素、三磷酸腺苷(ATP)),可以评估机械敏感传入神经和 MIA 的敏化情况(即增强反应、降低阈值和/或获得机械敏感性)。我们描述了设备和结肠直肠 - 神经记录制备方法、带有附着的 PN 或 LSN 的结肠直肠的采集、结肠直肠中感受野的识别、神经束的单纤维记录以及化学物质对感受野的局部应用。此外,还讨论了该制备方法和标准化机械刺激应用中的挑战。