Introduction: After successful experimental autologic-allotopic ileum mucosa transplantation, we investigated the remodeling of the transplanted submucous and mucous plexus, which is essential for the motility of the created colon coat-ileum mucosa complex.
Method: In 8 beagles we transplanted ileum mucosa in a demucosed vascularized transverse colon segment, which was reanastomosed with the small bowel immediately after transplantation. Four weeks later the animals were sacrificed and histology specimens taken from the anastomosis site of the colon coat-ileum mucosa complex, allowed comparison between transplanted and normal mucosa in the same section. After fixation in 4% formaldehyde and PBS the samples were embedded in paraffin and 7 micro m sections were prepared. The distribution of nerve fibers and submucous ganglia were examined in dewaxed sections, using antisera against protein gene product (PGP9.5), a general neuronal marker.
Results: The submucosal ganglia were prominent in all samples but they were smaller and the submucous nerve cells within the ganglia were less numerous compared to the controls. The innervation of the transplanted ileum mucosa was reduced as the number of nerve fibers in the mucosal villi was decreased. Besides these neuromorphologic changes the transplanted mucosa showed a slightly higher rate of shortened villi compared to normal ileum mucosa.
Conclusions: After ileum mucosa transplantation the submucosal ganglia are smaller and less numerous. Furthermore there is a considerable loss of nerve fibers in the mucosal layer. Additionally a loss of microvilli in the transplanted ileum mucosa was found. Whether these findings represent a state of remodeling or a slow atrophy of the enteric nervous system in the transplanted areas is currently under investigation.