Age-related changes in myosin-V myenteric neurons, CGRP and VIP immunoreactivity in the ileum of rats supplemented with ascorbic acid

Ana Paula Tonon Veit and Jacqueline Nelisis Zanoni

Department of Morphological Sciences, Statal University of Maringá, PR, Brazil.

Offprint requests to: Dra. Jacqueline Nelisis Zanoni, Avenida Colombo nº 5790 Bloco H-79 - CEP 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil. e-mail: jnzanoni@uem.br


Summary. We examined the effects of ascorbic acid supplementation on myosin-V, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) immunoractivities in the myenteric neurons in aging rats. Male rats were divided into groups: young 90-day-old rats (E90), 345-day-old control rats (E345), 428-day-old control rats (E428), 90- to 345-day-old rats treated with ascorbic acid (1 g/L) (EA345), and 90- to 428-day-old rats treated with ascorbic acid (1g/L) (EA428). The quantitative results showed that aging reduced the number of myosin-V-immunoreactive neurons compared with young animals (E90). Ascorbic acid supplementation in the EA345 and EA428 groups increased the average area of myosin-V neurons by 24.6% and 24.1% compared with the E345 and E428 groups, respectively. When all groups were compared, we observed significant differences for the CGRP- and VIP-immunoractive varicosities of nerve fibers from myenteric neurons. Ascorbic acid supplementation had a neurotrophic effect on all neurons studied, suggesting a neuroprotective role. Histol Histopathol 27, 123-132 (2012)

Key words: Aging, Ascorbic acid, CGRP, Myenteric neurons, VIP, Myosin V

DOI: 10.14670/HH-27.123