Background

The nerve plexus of the enteric nervous system (ENS) plays a crucial part in regulating gastrointestinal functions, such as muscle contractile activity and nutrient absorption. Studying the nerve plexus can provide vital information for research on ENS disorders. Whole-mount preparation is an important technique for investigating the nerve plexus. However, currently available methods are time consuming and highly technical.

New method

This study describes a simple and rapid method for preparing whole mounts of the longitudinal muscle and myenteric plexuses (LMMPs) of rat colon. Integral LMMPs can be easily separated from the underlying layer by using glass rods and wet cotton swabs.

Results

The proposed method allows the easy separation of the LMMPs in intact sheets. Immunofluorescence histochemical staining of whole mounts enable clear visualization of enteric ganglia, nerve fibers, and several subtypes of neuronal populations residing in the myenteric plexus.

Comparison with existing methods

Compared with existing procedures for whole-mount preparations, the proposed method achieves a quicker and more efficient preparation of high-quality LMMPs from intestinal segments in sufficient quantity.

Conclusions

This work provides a rapid method for efficiently preparing whole mounts of the intestines. Our method can be used for in situ observation of the morphological and functional alterations of the myenteric plexus for further studies on the ENS.

中文翻译：

---

整体制备大鼠结肠肌间神经丛的有效方法

背景

肠神经系统（ENS）的神经丛在调节胃肠功能（例如肌肉收缩活动和营养吸收）中起关键作用。研究神经丛可为研究ENS疾病提供重要信息。整装准备是研究神经丛的重要技术。但是，当前可用的方法既费时又技术含量很高。

新方法

这项研究描述了一种简单而快速的方法来制备大鼠结肠纵向肌肉和肌间神经丛（LMMP）的整个支架。使用玻璃棒和湿棉签可以很容易地将完整的LMMP与下层分离。

结果

所提出的方法使得完整片材中的LMMP易于分离。整个坐骑的免疫荧光组织化学染色可清晰显示肠神经节，神经纤维和位于肌间神经丛的神经元群体的几种亚型。

与现有方法的比较

与现有的整体制剂制备方法相比，该方法可从肠道段中以足够的数量更快，更有效地制备高质量的LMMP。

结论

这项工作提供了一种快速有效地准备整个肠道的方法。我们的方法可用于原位观察肌间神经丛的形态和功能改变，以用于ENS的进一步研究。