Faculty Collaboration Database

Hypothalamic circuit regulating colonic transit following chronic stress in rats. Stress 2012 Mar;15(2):227-36

Date

09/23/2011

Pubmed ID

21936687

DOI

10.3109/10253890.2011.614297

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84862909145 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   20 Citations

Abstract

Although acute stress accelerates colonic transit, the effect of chronic stress on colonic transit remains unclear. In this study, rats received repeated restraint stress (chronic homotypic stress) or various types of stress (chronic heterotypic stress) for 5 and 7 days, respectively. Vehicle saline, oxytocin (OXT), OXT receptor antagonist or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor antagonists were administered by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection prior to restraint stress for 90 min. Immediately after the stress exposure, the entire colon was removed and the geometric center (GC) of Na51CrO4 (a nonabsorbable radioactive marker; 0.5 μCi) distribution was calculated to measure the transit. Gene expression of OXT and CRF in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was evaluated by in situ hybridization. Accelerated colonic transit with the acute stressor was no longer observed following chronic homotypic stress. This restored colonic transit was reversed by ICV injection of an OXT antagonist. In contrast, chronic heterotypic stress significantly accelerated colonic transit, which was attenuated by ICV injection of OXT and by a CRF receptor 1 antagonist. OXT mRNA expression in the PVN was significantly increased following chronic homotypic stress, but not chronic heterotypic stress. However, CRF mRNA expression in the PVN was significantly increased following acute and chronic heterotypic stress, but not chronic homotypic stress. These results indicate that central OXT and CRF play a pivotal role in mediating the colonic dysmotility following chronic stress in rats.

Author List

Yoshimoto S, Cerjak D, Babygirija R, Bulbul M, Ludwig K, Takahashi T

Author

Kirk A. Ludwig MD Chief, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Colon
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
Gene Expression
Hypothalamus
Male
Oxytocin
Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
Receptors, Oxytocin
Restraint, Physical
Stress, Physiological
Stress, Psychological