Enteric Glia Modulate Macrophage Phenotype and Visceral Sensitivity following Inflammation.

ABSTRACT: Mechanisms resulting in abdominal pain include altered neuro-immune interactions in the gastrointestinal tract, but the signaling processes that link immune activation with visceral hypersensitivity are unresolved. We hypothesized that enteric glia link the neural and immune systems of the gut and that communication between enteric glia and immune cells modulates the development of visceral hypersensitivity. To this end, we manipulated a major mechanism of glial intercellular communication that requires connexin-43 and assessed the effects on acute and chronic inflammation, visceral hypersensitivity, and immune responses. Deleting connexin-43 in glia protected against the development of visceral hypersensitivity following chronic colitis. Mechanistically, the protective effects of glial ma

SUBMITTER: Grubisic V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7518300 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature