Functional Intraregional and Interregional Heterogeneity between Myenteric Glial Cells of the Colon and Duodenum in Mice.

Enteric glia are a unique population of peripheral neuroglia that regulate homeostasis in the enteric nervous system (ENS) and intestinal functions. Despite existing in functionally diverse regions of the gastrointestinal tract, enteric glia have been approached scientifically as a homogeneous group of cells. This assumption is at odds with the functional specializations of gastrointestinal organs and recent data suggesting glial heterogeneity in the brain and ENS. Here, we used calcium imaging in transgenic mice of both sexes expressing genetically encoded calcium sensors in enteric glia and conducted contractility studies to investigate functional diversity among myenteric glia in two functionally distinct intestinal organs: the duodenum and the colon. Our data show that myenteric glia exhibit regionally distinct responses to neuromodulators that require intercellular communication with neurons to differing extents in the duodenum and colon. Glia regulate intestinal contractility in a region-specific and pathway-specific manner, which suggests regionally diverse engagement of enteric glia in local motor patterns through discrete signaling pathways. Further, functional response profiles delineate four unique subpopulations among myenteric glia that are differentially distributed between the colon and duodenum. Our findings support the conclusion that myenteric glia exhibit both intraregional and interregional heterogeneity that contributes to region-specific mechanisms that regulate digestive functions. Glial heterogeneity adds an unexpected layer of complexity in peripheral neurocircuits, and understanding the specific functions of specialized glial subtypes will provide new insight into ENS physiology and pathophysiology.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Enteric glia modulate gastrointestinal functions through intercellular communication with enteric neurons. Whether heterogeneity exists among neuron-glia interactions in the digestive tract is not understood. Here, we show that myenteric glia display regional heterogeneity in their responses to neuromodulators in the duodenum and the colon, which are functionally distinct organs. Glial-mediated control of intestinal motility is region and pathway specific. Four myenteric glial subtypes are present within a given gut region that are differently distributed between gut regions. These data provide functional and regional insights into enteric circuit specificity in the adult enteric nervous system.

Histamine-dependent interactions between mast cells, glia, and neurons are altered following early-life adversity in mice and humans.

Early-life adversity contributes to the development of functional bowel disorders later in life through unresolved mechanisms. Here, we tested the hypothesis that early-life adversity alters anatomical and functional interactions between mast cells and enteric glia. The effects of early-life stress were studied using the neonatal maternal separation (NMS) stress mouse model. Anatomical relationships between mast cells and enteric glia were assessed using immunohistochemistry and mast cell reporter mice (Mcpt5Cre;GCaMP5g-tdT). Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression of histamine, histamine 1 (H1) receptors, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Functional responses of glia to mast cell mediators were assessed in calcium imaging experiments using Sox10CreERT2;GCaMP5g-tdT mice and cultured human enteric glial cells. NMS increases mast cell numbers at the level of the myenteric plexus and their proximity to myenteric ganglia. Myenteric glia respond to mediators released by activated mast cells that are blocked by H1 receptor antagonists in mice and humans and by blocking neuronal activity with tetrodotoxin in mouse tissue. Histamine replicates the effects of mast cell supernatants on enteric glia, and NMS increases histamine production by mast cells. NMS reduces glial responses to mast cell mediators in mouse tissue, while potentiating responses in cultured human enteric glia. NMS increases myenteric glial fibrillary acidic protein expression and reduces glial process length but does not cause neurodegeneration. Histamine receptor expression is not altered by NMS and is localized to neurons in mice, but glia in humans. Early-life stress increases the potential for interactions between enteric glia and mast cells, and histamine is a potential mediator of mast cell-glial interactions through H1 receptors. We propose that glial-mast cell signaling is a mechanism that contributes to enteric neuroplasticity driven by early-life adversity.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Early-life adversity places an individual at risk for developing functional gastrointestinal disorders later in life through unknown mechanisms. Here, we show that interactions between mast cells and glia are disrupted by early-life stress in mice and that histamine is a potential mediator of mast cell-glial interactions.

Gastrointestinal neuroimmune disruption in a mouse model of Gulf War illness.

Gulf War illness (GWI) is a chronic multisymptom disorder that is prominent in Gulf War veterans. Major unexplained symptoms of GWI include functional gastrointestinal disorders and undiagnosed illnesses, including neurologic disorders. Exposure to the antinerve gas drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB) is linked to the development of GWI, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that PB alters gut function by disrupting the neural and immune systems of the intestine. We exposed male and female mice to physiologically comparable amounts of PB that match the dose, route, and time frame of exposure experienced by Gulf War veterans and assessed the acute and chronic impacts on gastrointestinal functions, the functional architecture of the enteric nervous system, and immune responses in the gut and brain. Exposure to PB drove acute alterations to colonic motility and structure in both male and female mice that transitioned to chronic changes in gut functions. PB drove acute alterations to enteric neural and glial activity, glial reactivity, and neuron survival with glial reactivity persisting into the chronic phase in male mice. Despite having no effect on colonic permeability, exposure to PB caused major shifts in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the colon and brain that suggest immunosuppressive effects. Interestingly, immune disruption was still evident in the colon and brain in female animals at 1 mo following exposure to PB. Together, our results show that the paradigm of PB exposure experienced by veterans of the Persian Gulf War contributes to long-lasting pathophysiology by driving enteric neuroinflammation, promoting immunosuppression, and altering functional anatomy of the colon in a sex-dependent manner.-Hernandez, S., Fried, D. E., Grubisic, V., McClain, J. L., Gulbransen, B. D. Gastrointestinal neuroimmune disruption in a mouse model of Gulf War illness.

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism prevents obesity-induced cerebral artery remodeling and reduces white matter injury in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Midlife obesity is a risk factor for dementia development. Obesity has also been linked to hyperaldosteronism, and this can be modeled in rats by high fat (HF) feeding from weaning. Aldosterone, or activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) causes cerebrovascular injury in lean hypertensive rats. We hypothesized that rats fed a HF diet would show inward middle cerebral artery (MCA) remodeling that could be prevented by MR antagonism. We further proposed that the cerebral artery remodeling would be associated with white mater injury. METHODS: Three-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a HF diet ± the MR antagonist canrenoic acid (Canr) for 17 weeks. Control rats received normal chow (control NC). MCA structure was assessed by pressure myography. RESULTS: The MCAs from HF fed rats had smaller lumens and thicker walls when compared to arteries from control NC rats; Canr prevented the MCA remodeling associated with HF feeding. HF feeding increased the mRNA expression of markers of cell proliferation and vascular inflammation in cerebral arteries and Canr treatment prevented this. White mater injury was increased in the rats fed the HF diet and this was reduced by Canr treatment. The expression of doublecortin, a marker of new and immature neurons was reduced in HF fed rats, and MR antagonism normalized this. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that HF feeding leads to MR dependent remodeling of the MCA and this is associated with markers of dementia development.

The acute inhibition of enteric glial metabolism with fluoroacetate alters calcium signaling, hemichannel function, and the expression of key proteins.

Glia play key roles in the regulation of neurotransmission in the nervous system. Fluoroacetate (FA) is a metabolic poison widely used to study glial functions by disrupting the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme aconitase. Despite the widespread use of FA, the effects of FA on essential glial functions such as calcium (Ca2+) signaling and hemichannel function remain unknown. Therefore, our goal was to assess specifically the impact of FA on essential glial cell functions that are involved with neurotransmission in the enteric nervous system. To this end, we generated a new optogenetic mouse model to study specifically the effects of FA on enteric glial Ca2+ signaling by crossing PC::G5-tdTomato mice with Sox10::creERT2 mice. FA did not change the peak glial Ca2+ response when averaged across all glia within a ganglion. However, FA decreased the percent of responding glia by 30% (P < 0.05) and increased the peak Ca2+ response of the glial cells that still exhibited a response by 26% (P < 0.01). Disruption of Ca2+ signaling with FA impaired the activity-dependent uptake of ethidium bromide through connexin-43 (Cx43) hemichannels (P < 0.05) but did not affect baseline Cx43-dependent dye uptake. FA did not cause overt glial or neurodegeneration, but glial cells significantly increased glial fibrillary acid protein by 56% (P < 0.05) following treatment with FA. Together, these data show that the acute impairment of glial metabolism with FA causes key changes in glial functions associated with their roles in neurotransmission and phenotypic changes indicative of reactive gliosis. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Our study shows that the acute impairment of enteric glial metabolism with fluoroacetate (FA) alters specific glial functions that are associated with the modification of neurotransmission in the gut. These include subtle changes to glial agonist-evoked calcium signaling, the subsequent disruption of connexin-43 hemichannels, and changes in protein expression that are consistent with a transition to reactive glia. These changes in glial function offer a mechanistic explanation for the effects of FA on peripheral neuronal networks.

Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibition attenuates middle cerebral artery remodeling but increases cerebral ischemic damage in hypertensive rats.

Hypertension causes vascular inflammation evidenced by an increase in perivascular macrophages and proinflammatory cytokines in the arterial wall. Perivascular macrophage depletion reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression in cerebral arteries of hypertensive rats and attenuated inward remodeling, suggesting that TNF-α might play a role in the remodeling process. We hypothesized that TNF-α inhibition would improve middle cerebral artery (MCA) structure and reduce damage after cerebral ischemia in hypertensive rats. Six-week-old male stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were treated with the TNF-α inhibitor etanercept (ETN; 1.25 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1) ip daily) or PBS (equivolume) for 6 wk. The myogenic tone generation, postischemic dilation, and passive structure of MCAs were assessed by pressure myography. Cerebral ischemia was induced by MCA occlusion (MCAO). Myogenic tone was unchanged, but MCAs from SHRSP + ETN had larger passive lumen diameter and reduced wall thickness and wall-to-lumen ratio. Cerebral infarct size was increased in SHRSP + ETN after transient MCAO, despite an improvement in dilation of nonischemic MCA. The increase in infarct size was linked to a reduction in the number of microglia in the infarct core and upregulation of markers of classical macrophage/microglia polarization. There was no difference in infarct size after permanent MCAO or when untreated SHRSP subjected to transient MCAO were given ETN at reperfusion. Our data suggests that TNF-α inhibition attenuates hypertensive MCA remodeling but exacerbates cerebral damage following ischemia/reperfusion injury likely due to inhibition of the innate immune response of the brain.

Early life adversity promotes gastrointestinal dysfunction through a sex-dependent phenotypic switch in enteric glia.

Irritable bowel syndrome and related disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) are common and exhibit a complex, poorly understood etiology that manifests as abnormal gut motility and pain. Risk factors such as biological sex, stressors during critical periods, and inflammation are thought to influence DGBI vulnerability by reprogramming gut-brain circuits, but the specific cells affected are unclear. Here, we used a model of early life stress to understand cellular mechanisms in the gut that produce DGBIs. Our findings identify enteric glia as a key cellular substrate in which stress and biological sex converge to dictate DGBI susceptibility. Enteric glia exhibit sexual dimorphism in genes and functions related to cellular communication, inflammation, and disease susceptibility. Experiencing early life stress has sex-specific effects on enteric glia that cause a phenotypic switch in male glia toward a phenotype normally observed in females. This phenotypic transformation is followed by physiological changes in the gut, mirroring those observed in DGBI in humans. These effects are mediated, in part, by alterations to glial prostaglandin and endocannabinoid signaling. Together, these data identify enteric glia as a cellular integration site through which DGBI risk factors produce changes in gut physiology and suggest that manipulating glial signaling may represent an attractive target for sex-specific therapeutic strategies in DGBIs.

Improvement in middle cerebral artery structure and endothelial function in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats after macrophage depletion.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Hypertensive animals have an increased number of perivascular macrophages in cerebral arteries. Macrophages might be involved in remodeling of the cerebral vasculature. We hypothesized that peripheral macrophage depletion would improve MCA structure and function in hypertensive rats. METHODS: For macrophage depletion, six-week-old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were treated with CLOD, 10 mL/kg every three or four days, i.p., or vehicle (PBS lipo). MCA structure and function were analyzed by pressure and wire myography. RESULTS: Blood pressure was not affected by CLOD. The number of perivascular CD163-positive cells per microscopic field was reduced in the brain of SHRSP+CLOD. CLOD treatment caused an improvement in endothelium-dependent dilation after intralumenal perfusion of ADP and incubation with Ach. Inhibition of NO production blunted the Ach response, and endothelium-independent dilation was not altered. At an intralumenal pressure of 80 mmHg, MCA from SHRSP+CLOD showed increased lumen diameter, decreased wall thickness, and wall-to-lumen ratio. Cross-sectional area of pial arterioles from SHRSP+CLOD was higher than PBS lipo. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that macrophage depletion attenuates MCA remodeling and improves MCA endothelial function in SHRSP.

Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Histamine Degradation by Enteric Glial Histamine N-Methyltransferase (HNMT) on Visceral Hypersensitivity.

Histamine is a neuromodulator that affects gut motility and visceral sensitivity through intrinsic and extrinsic neural pathways, yet the mechanisms regulating histamine availability in these pathways remain poorly understood. Here, we show that enteric glia contribute to histamine clearance in the enteric nervous system (ENS) through their expression of the enzyme histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT). Glial HNMT expression was initially assessed using immunolabeling and gene expression, and functionally tested using CRISPR-Cas9 to create a Cre-dependent conditional Hnmt ablation model targeting glia. Immunolabeling, calcium imaging, and visceromotor reflex recordings were used to assess the effects on ENS structure and visceral hypersensitivity. Immunolabeling and gene expression data show that enteric neurons and glia express HNMT. Deleting Hnmt in Sox10+ enteric glia increased glial histamine levels and altered visceromotor responses to colorectal distension in male mice, with no effect in females. Interestingly, deleting glial Hnmt protected males from histamine-driven visceral hypersensitivity. These data uncover a significant role for glial HNMT in histamine degradation in the gut, which impacts histamine-driven visceral hypersensitivity in a sex-dependent manner. Changes in the capacity of glia to clear histamines could play a role in the susceptibility to developing visceral pain in disorders of the gut-brain interaction.

BQ788 reveals glial ETB receptor modulation of neuronal cholinergic and nitrergic pathways to inhibit intestinal motility: Linked to postoperative ileus.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ET-1 signalling modulates intestinal motility and inflammation, but the role of ET-1/ETB receptor signalling is poorly understood. Enteric glia modulate normal motility and inflammation. We investigated whether glial ETB signalling regulates neural-motor pathways of intestinal motility and inflammation. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We studied ETB signalling using: ETB drugs (ET-1, SaTX, BQ788), activity-dependent stimulation of neurons (high K+ -depolarization, EFS), gliotoxins, Tg (Ednrb-EGFP)EP59Gsat/Mmucd mice, cell-specific mRNA in Sox10CreERT2 ;Rpl22-HAflx or ChATCre ;Rpl22-HAflx mice, Sox10CreERT2 ::GCaMP5g-tdT, Wnt1Cre2 ::GCaMP5g-tdT mice, muscle tension recordings, fluid-induced peristalsis, ET-1 expression, qPCR, western blots, 3-D LSM-immunofluorescence co-labelling studies in LMMP-CM and a postoperative ileus (POI) model of intestinal inflammation. KEY RESULTS: In the muscularis externa ETB receptor is expressed exclusively in glia. ET-1 is expressed in RiboTag (ChAT)-neurons, isolated ganglia and intra-ganglionic varicose-nerve fibres co-labelled with peripherin or SP. ET-1 release provides activity-dependent glial ETB receptor modulation of Ca2+ waves in neural evoked glial responses. BQ788 reveals amplification of glial and neuronal Ca2+ responses and excitatory cholinergic contractions, sensitive to L-NAME. Gliotoxins disrupt SaTX-induced glial-Ca2+ waves and prevent BQ788 amplification of contractions. The ETB receptor is linked to inhibition of contractions and peristalsis. Inflammation causes glial ETB up-regulation, SaTX-hypersensitivity and glial amplification of ETB signalling. In vivo BQ788 (i.p., 1 mg·kg-1 ) attenuates intestinal inflammation in POI. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Enteric glial ET-1/ETB signalling provides dual modulation of neural-motor circuits to inhibit motility. It inhibits excitatory cholinergic and stimulates inhibitory nitrergic motor pathways. Amplification of glial ETB receptors is linked to muscularis externa inflammation and possibly pathogenic mechanisms of POI.

LPAR1 regulates enteric nervous system function through glial signaling and contributes to chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.

Gastrointestinal motility disorders involve alterations to the structure and/or function of the enteric nervous system (ENS) but the causal mechanisms remain unresolved in most cases. Homeostasis and disease in the ENS are processes that are regulated by enteric glia. Signaling mediated through type I lysophosphatidic acid receptors (LPAR1) has recently emerged as an important mechanism that contributes to disease, in part, through effects on peripheral glial survival and function. Enteric glia express LPAR1 but its role in ENS function and motility disorders is unknown. We used a combination of genetic, immunohistochemical, calcium imaging, and in vivo pharmacological approaches to investigate the role of LPAR1 in enteric glia. LPAR1 was enriched in enteric glia in mice and humans and LPA stimulated intracellular calcium responses in enteric glia, subsequently recruiting activity in a subpopulation of myenteric neurons. Blocking LPAR1 in vivo with AM966 attenuated gastrointestinal motility in mice and produced marked enteric neuro- and gliopathy. Samples from humans with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO), a severe motility disorder, showed reduced glial LPAR1 expression in the colon and ileum. These data suggest that enteric glial LPAR1 signaling regulates gastrointestinal motility through enteric glia and could contribute to severe motility disorders in humans such as CIPO.

Doxycycline, a matrix metalloprotease inhibitor, reduces vascular remodeling and damage after cerebral ischemia in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are a family of zinc peptidases involved in extracellular matrix turnover. There is evidence that increased MMP activity is involved in remodeling of resistance vessels in chronic hypertension. Thus we hypothesized that inhibition of MMP activity with doxycycline (DOX) would attenuate vascular remodeling. Six-week-old male stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were treated with DOX (50 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1) in the drinking water) for 6 wk. Untreated SHRSP were controls. Blood pressure was measured by telemetry during the last week. Middle cerebral artery (MCA) and mesenteric resistance artery (MRA) passive structures were assessed by pressure myography. MMP-2 expression in aortas was measured by Western blot. All results are means ± SE. DOX caused a small increase in mean arterial pressure (SHRSP, 154 ± 1; SHRSP + DOX, 159 ± 3 mmHg; P < 0.001). Active MMP-2 expression was reduced in aorta from SHRSP + DOX (0.21 ± 0.06 vs. 0.49 ± 0.13 arbitrary units; P < 0.05). In the MCA, at 80 mmHg, DOX treatment increased the lumen (273.2 ± 4.7 vs. 238.3 ± 6.3 µm; P < 0.05) and the outer diameter (321 ± 5.3 vs. 290 ± 7.6 µm; P < 0.05) and reduced the wall-to-lumen ratio (0.09 ± 0.002 vs. 0.11 ± 0.003; P < 0.05). Damage after transient cerebral ischemia (transient MCA occlusion) was reduced in SHRSP + DOX (20.7 ± 4 vs. 45.5 ± 5% of hemisphere infarcted; P < 0.05). In the MRA, at 90 mmHg DOX, reduced wall thickness (29 ± 1 vs. 22 ± 1 µm; P < 0.001) and wall-to-lumen ratio (0.08 ± 0.004 vs. 0.11 ± 0.008; P < 0.05) without changing lumen diameter. These results suggest that MMPs are involved in hypertensive vascular remodeling in both the peripheral and cerebral vasculature and that DOX reduced brain damage after cerebral ischemia.

Enteric Glia Modulate Macrophage Phenotype and Visceral Sensitivity following Inflammation.

Mechanisms resulting in abdominal pain include altered neuro-immune interactions in the gastrointestinal tract, but the signaling processes that link immune activation with visceral hypersensitivity are unresolved. We hypothesized that enteric glia link the neural and immune systems of the gut and that communication between enteric glia and immune cells modulates the development of visceral hypersensitivity. To this end, we manipulated a major mechanism of glial intercellular communication that requires connexin-43 and assessed the effects on acute and chronic inflammation, visceral hypersensitivity, and immune responses. Deleting connexin-43 in glia protected against the development of visceral hypersensitivity following chronic colitis. Mechanistically, the protective effects of glial manipulation were mediated by disrupting the glial-mediated activation of macrophages through the macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Collectively, our data identified enteric glia as a critical link between gastrointestinal neural and immune systems that could be harnessed by therapies to ameliorate abdominal pain.

Sirtuin-3 Is Expressed by Enteric Neurons but It Does not Play a Major Role in Their Regulation of Oxidative Stress.

Gut inflammation contributes to the development of gut motility disorders in part by disrupting the function and survival of enteric neurons through mechanisms that involve oxidative stress. How enteric neurons regulate oxidative stress is still poorly understood. Importantly, how neuron autonomous antioxidant mechanisms contribute to the susceptibility of enteric neurons to oxidative stress in disease is not known. Here, we discover that sirtuin-3 (Sirt3), a key regulator of oxidative stress and mitochondrial metabolism, is expressed by neurons in the enteric nervous system (ENS) of the mouse colon. Given the important role of Sirt3 in the regulation of neuronal oxidative stress in the central nervous system (CNS), we hypothesized that Sirt3 plays an important role in the cell autonomous regulation of oxidative stress by enteric neurons and that a loss of Sirt3 increases neuronal vulnerability during intestinal inflammation. We tested our hypothesis using a combination of traditional immunohistochemistry, oxidative stress measurements and in vivo and ex vivo measures of GI motility in healthy and inflamed wild-type (wt) and Sirt3 null (Sirt3 (-/-)) mice. Our results show that Sirt3 is widely expressed by neurons throughout the myenteric plexus of the mouse colon. However, the deletion of Sirt3 had surprisingly little effect on gut function and susceptibility to inflammation. Likewise, neither the genetic ablation of Sirt3 nor the inhibition of Sirt3 with antagonists had a significant effect on neuronal oxidative stress. Therefore, we conclude that Sirt3 contributes very little to the overall regulation of neuronal oxidative stress in the ENS. The functional relevance of Sirt3 in enteric neurons is still unclear but our data show that it is an unlikely candidate to explain neuronal vulnerability to oxidative stress during inflammation.

Enteric glia mediate neuron death in colitis through purinergic pathways that require connexin-43 and nitric oxide.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The concept of enteric glia as regulators of intestinal homeostasis is slowly gaining acceptance as a central concept in neurogastroenterology. Yet how glia contribute to intestinal disease is still poorly understood. Purines generated during inflammation drive enteric neuron death by activating neuronal P2X7 purine receptors (P2X7R), triggering ATP release via neuronal pannexin-1 channels that subsequently recruits intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) responses in the surrounding enteric glia. We tested the hypothesis that the activation of enteric glia contributes to neuron death during inflammation. METHODS: We studied neuroinflammation in vivo using the 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid model of colitis and in situ using whole-mount preparations of human and mouse intestine. Transgenic mice with a targeted deletion of glial connexin-43 (Cx43) [GFAP∷CreERT2+/-/Cx43f/f ] were used to specifically disrupt glial signaling pathways. Mice deficient in inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS-/-) were used to study NO production. Protein expression and oxidative stress were measured using immunohistochemistry and in situ Ca2+ and NO imaging were used to monitor glial [Ca2+]i and [NO]i. RESULTS: Purinergic activation of enteric glia drove [Ca2+]i responses and enteric neuron death through a Cx43-dependent mechanism. Neurotoxic Cx43 activity, driven by NO production from glial iNOS, was required for neuron death. Glial Cx43 opening liberated ATP and Cx43-dependent ATP release was potentiated by NO. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the activation of glial cells in the context of neuroinflammation kills enteric neurons. Mediators of inflammation that include ATP and NO activate neurotoxic pathways that converge on glial Cx43 hemichannels. The glial response to inflammatory mediators might contribute to the development of motility disorders.

Agonist-evoked Ca2+ signaling in enteric glia drives neural programs that regulate intestinal motility in mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastrointestinal motility is regulated by enteric neural circuitry that includes enteric neurons and glia. Enteric glia monitor synaptic activity and exhibit responses to neurotransmitters that are encoded by intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling. What role evoked glial responses play in the neural regulation of gut motility is unknown. We tested how evoking Ca2+ signaling in enteric glia affects the neural control of intestinal motility. METHODS: We used a novel chemogenetic mouse model that expresses the designer receptor hM3Dq under the transcriptional control of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter (GFAP::hM3Dq mice) to selectively trigger glial Ca2+ signaling. We used in situ Ca2+ imaging and immunohistochemistry to validate this model and assessed gut motility by measuring pellet output and composition, colonic bead expulsion time, small intestinal transit time, total gut transit time, colonic migrating motor complex (CMMC) recordings and muscle tension recordings. RESULTS: hM3Dq receptor expression is confined to GFAP-positive enteric glia in the intestines of GFAP::hM3Dq mice. In these mice, application of the hM3Dq agonist clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) selectively triggers intracellular Ca2+ responses in enteric glia. Glial activation drove neurogenic contractions in the ileum and colon but had no effect on neurogenic relaxations. CNO enhanced the amplitude and frequency of CMMCs in ex vivo preparations of the colon and CNO increased colonic motility in vivo. CNO had no effect on the composition of fecal matter, small intestinal transit or whole gut transit. CONCLUSIONS: Glial excitability encoded by intracellular Ca2+ signaling functions to modulate excitatory enteric circuits. Selectively triggering glial Ca2+ signaling might be a novel strategy to improve gut function in motility disorders.

Temporary mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism during the development of hypertension improves cerebral artery dilation.

Hypertension causes cerebral artery remodeling and increases the risk of stroke. Renin angiotensin system blockade during the development of hypertension has therapeutic effects even after treatment withdrawal. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation has been implicated in artery remodeling and impaired endothelial function. The possibility that there is a critical therapeutic window for MR antagonism has not been investigated. We hypothesized that temporary MR antagonism while hypertension develops would improve middle cerebral artery (MCA) structure and function in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), even after treatment withdrawal. Six-week-old SHRSP were treated with spironolactone (25 mg/kg/day) from 6 to 12 weeks and when aged to 18 weeks, these rats were compared to age-matched untreated SHRSP. Surprisingly, temporary spironolactone treatment reduced the MCA outer and lumen diameter but had no effect on the wall thickness. Temporary spironolactone treatment improved nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor mediated dilation but had no effect on blood pressure. Spironolactone treatment caused a very small reduction in the damage caused by permanent focal cerebral ischemia. These results suggest that temporary MR antagonism during the development of hypertension has divergent effects on the MCA, in that it causes a potentially detrimental reduction in the lumen diameter while improving vasodilation.

The development of hypertension and hyperaldosteronism in a rodent model of life-long obesity.

Aldosterone has been linked to the deleterious cardiovascular effects of obesity in humans. The association of aldosterone with obesity in rodents is less well defined, particularly in models of diet-induced obesity. We hypothesized that adrenal aldosterone production and aldosterone synthase expression would be increased in rats with obesity-induced hypertension. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a high-fat (HF: 36% fat) or control diet from 3 wk of age, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured by telemetry. MAP was increased after 4 wk of HF diet; this was 6 wk before changes in body weight. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism did not prevent the HF-induced increase in MAP. After 17 wk on the diets, HF rats had increased body and fat weights (abdominal and epididymal) and were insulin resistant (Homeostasis Model Assessment index: 3.53 ± 0.43 vs. 8.52 ± 1.77; control vs. HF, P < 0.05). Plasma aldosterone levels were increased in the HF rats (64.14 ± 14.96 vs. 206.25 ± 47.55 pg/ml; control vs. HF, P < 0.05). This occurred independently of plasma renin activity (4.8 ± 0.92 vs. 4.73 ± 0.66 ng/ml/h, control vs. HF). The increase in aldosterone was accompanied by a 2-fold increase in adrenal aldosterone synthase mRNA expression and zona glomerulosa hypertrophy. Rats were also studied after 8 wk of HF diet, a time when MAP, but not body weight, was increased. At this time plasma aldosterone was unchanged but plasma renin activity was increased (4.4 ± 0.5 vs. 8.1 ± 1.3 ng/ml/h; control vs. HF, P < 0.05). These studies suggest that rats fed a HF diet from weaning may be a useful model for studying obesity-associated hyperaldosteronism.