Detection of calprotectin and its correlation to the accumulation of neutrophils within equine large colon during ischaemia and reperfusion.
Authors: Grosche A, Morton A J, Polyak M M R, Matyjaszek S, Freeman D E
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion injury remains a significant challenge in equine colic management, with neutrophil infiltration playing a central role in tissue damage. Grosche and colleagues investigated whether calprotectin, an abundant cytosolic protein in neutrophils, could reliably detect and localise neutrophil accumulation in the equine large colon, using a model of controlled ischaemia (1–2 hours) followed by reperfusion periods of 30 minutes or 18 hours. Immunohistochemical detection of calprotectin-positive cells correlated significantly with direct neutrophil counts in both submucosal venules and mucosa, demonstrating that calprotectin serves as a valid marker for neutrophil trafficking; notably, neutrophils peaked in submucosal vessels at 30 minutes of reperfusion before migrating progressively into the mucosa, reaching maximum infiltration at 18 hours. These findings suggest that neutrophil migration into colonic tissue is a time-dependent process following reperfusion, providing clinicians and researchers with a more precise immunohistochemical method to characterise the inflammatory response trajectory in ischaemic colon. For practitioners managing post-operative colic cases, this research underscores the extended inflammatory window during recovery and reinforces that injury progression—particularly mucosal infiltration—continues well beyond the initial reperfusion phase, potentially informing anti-inflammatory treatment protocols and prognostic assessments.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Calprotectin immunohistochemistry can be used as a reliable marker to assess neutrophil infiltration in equine colon during ischaemic episodes, improving diagnostic accuracy
- •Understanding the timeline of neutrophil accumulation (peak at 30 min reperfusion in vessels, 18 h in mucosa) may help guide therapeutic interventions in post-ischaemic colitis management
- •Neutrophil migration into the mucosa is a progressive process; early intervention strategies should target this inflammatory cascade to limit tissue damage
Key Findings
- •Calprotectin-positive cells in submucosal venules and colonic mucosa correlated significantly with neutrophil accumulation during ischaemia/reperfusion
- •Neutrophils in submucosal venules peaked after 30 minutes of reperfusion and declined by 18 hours
- •Neutrophil migration into the mucosa increased significantly during reperfusion, with peak infiltration after 18 hours following 2 hours of ischaemia
- •Neutrophil infiltration into colon after ischaemia/reperfusion is a time-dependent process involving migration through submucosa towards epithelium