Changes in interstitial cells and gastric excitability in a mouse model of sleeve gastrectomy

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 23;17(6):e0269909. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269909. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Obesity is a critical risk factor of several life-threatening diseases and the prevalence in adults has dramatically increased over the past ten years. In the USA the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in adults was 42.4%, i.e., with a body mass index (BMI, weight (kg)/height (m)2) that exceeds 30 kg/m2. Obese individuals are at the higher risk of obesity-related diseases, co-morbid conditions, lower quality of life, and increased mortality more than those in the normal BMI range i.e., 18.5-24.9 kg/m2. Surgical treatment continues to be the most efficient and scientifically successful treatment for obese patients. Sleeve gastrectomy or vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is a relatively new gastric procedure to reduce body weight but is now the most popular bariatric operation. To date there have been few studies examining the changes in the cellular components and pacemaker activity that occur in the gastric wall following VSG and whether normal gastric activity recovers following VSG. In the present study we used a murine model to investigate the chronological changes of gastric excitability including electrophysiological, molecular and morphological changes in the gastric musculature following VSG. There is a significant disruption in specialized interstitial cells of Cajal in the gastric antrum following sleeve gastrectomy. This is associated with a loss of gastric pacemaker activity and post-junctional neuroeffector responses. Over a 4-month recovery period there was a gradual return in interstitial cells of Cajal networks, pacemaker activity and neural responses. These data describe for the first time the changes in gastric interstitial cells of Cajal networks, pacemaker activity and neuroeffector responses and the time-dependent recovery of ICC networks and normalization of motor activity and neural responses following VSG.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Gastrectomy / methods
  • Gastric Bypass* / methods
  • Humans
  • Interstitial Cells of Cajal*
  • Mice
  • Obesity, Morbid* / surgery
  • Quality of Life
  • Weight Loss / physiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a research grant from Kangwon National University to SBM and NIH DK057236 to SMW and KMS. Confocal imaging was supported by an equipment grant from the NCRR for a Zeiss LSM510 confocal microscope (1 S10 RR16871). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.