Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden.
Department of Gastroenterology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden.
Cells. 2022 Jan 20;11(3):335. doi: 10.3390/cells11030335.
Enteric glial cells (EGC) are known to regulate gastrointestinal functions; however, their role in Crohn's disease (CD) is elusive. Microscopic erosions over the ileal Peyer's patches are early signs of CD. The aim of this work was to assess the localization of EGC in the follicle and interfollicular region of the Peyer's patches and in the lamina propria and study the effects of EGC mediators on barrier function in CD patients and non-inflammatory bowel disease (non-IBD) controls. EGC markers, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and S100 calcium-binding protein β (S100β) were quantified by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Both markers showed significantly more EGC in the Peyer's patches and lamina propria of CD patients compared to the non-IBD controls. In CD patients there were significantly more EGC in Peyer's patches compared to lamina propria, while the opposite pattern was seen in controls. Barrier function studies using Ussing chambers showed increased paracellular permeability by EGC mediators in CD patients, whereas permeability decreased by the mediators in controls. We show the accumulation of EGC in Peyer's patches of CD patients. Moreover, EGC mediators induced barrier dysfunction in CD patients. Thus, EGC might have harmful impacts on ongoing inflammation and contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease.
肠胶质细胞（EGC）被认为可以调节胃肠道功能；然而，它们在克罗恩病（CD）中的作用仍不明确。回肠派尔集合淋巴结的微小糜烂是 CD 的早期迹象。本研究旨在评估 EGC 在派尔集合淋巴结的滤泡和滤泡间区、固有层中的定位，并研究 EGC 介质对 CD 患者和非炎症性肠病（non-IBD）对照者的屏障功能的影响。通过免疫荧光和 Western blot 定量测定 EGC 标志物胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）和 S100 钙结合蛋白β（S100β）。与 non-IBD 对照组相比，CD 患者的派尔集合淋巴结和固有层中 EGC 标志物明显更多。与对照组相反，在 CD 患者中，派尔集合淋巴结中的 EGC 明显多于固有层，而在对照组中则相反。使用 Ussing 室进行的屏障功能研究表明，EGC 介质在 CD 患者中增加了细胞旁通透性，而在对照者中，介质则降低了通透性。我们发现 CD 患者派尔集合淋巴结中 EGC 的积累。此外，EGC 介质在 CD 患者中诱导了屏障功能障碍。因此，EGC 可能对持续的炎症产生有害影响，并有助于疾病的病理生理学。
