Transplantation of enteric nervous system stem cells rescues nitric oxide synthase deficient mouse colon.

ABSTRACT: Enteric nervous system neuropathy causes a wide range of severe gut motility disorders. Cell replacement of lost neurons using enteric neural stem cells (ENSC) is a possible therapy for these life-limiting disorders. Here we show rescue of gut motility after ENSC transplantation in a mouse model of human enteric neuropathy, the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS^-/-) deficient mouse model, which displays slow transit in the colon. We further show that transplantation of ENSC into the colon rescues impaired colonic motility with formation of extensive networks of transplanted cells, including the development of nNOS⁺ neurons and subsequent restoration of nitrergic responses. Moreover, post-transplantation non-cell-autonomous mechanisms restore the numbers of interstit

SUBMITTER: McCann CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5500880 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature