Myenteric networks of interstitial cells of Cajal are reduced in horses with inflammatory bowel disease.
Authors: Fintl C, Lindberg R, McL Press C
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Myenteric Networks and Equine IBD: New Understanding of Cellular Dysfunction Equine inflammatory bowel disease remains diagnostically and mechanistically challenging despite its clinical significance, with affected horses typically presenting weight loss, chronic diarrhoea and recurrent colic episodes. Fintl and colleagues examined whether IBD alters the structure and function of the myenteric plexus—specifically the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), which generate the electrical activity controlling gastrointestinal motility—using histological analysis of intestinal tissue samples from both healthy control horses and IBD-affected individuals. The key finding was a marked reduction in ICC networks throughout the myenteric plexus in diseased tissue, suggesting that IBD doesn't simply cause inflammation but actively disrupts the cellular networks responsible for coordinated gut contractions. This discovery has significant implications for clinical management: reduced ICC populations may explain why some IBD cases prove refractory to anti-inflammatory treatment alone, and it highlights the potential value of therapeutic approaches targeting ICC preservation or regeneration alongside conventional immunomodulatory strategies. Understanding that IBD involves functional denervation of the intestinal pacemaker system opens new avenues for both diagnosis—potentially using ICC density as a prognostic indicator—and treatment in cases where motility dysfunction is contributing to clinical signs.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •IBD in horses involves pathological changes to the enteric nervous system, specifically loss of interstitial cells of Cajal that function as gastrointestinal pacemakers, which may explain motility disturbances and clinical signs
- •Understanding ICC depletion in equine IBD may guide future therapeutic strategies targeting gastrointestinal function and neurological dysfunction
- •Clinical presentations of weight loss, diarrhoea and colic in horses with IBD may be linked to structural changes in enteric pacemaker cells and supporting neural tissue
Key Findings
- •Myenteric networks of interstitial cells of Cajal are reduced in horses with inflammatory bowel disease
- •The study evaluated effects of IBD on gastrointestinal pacemaker cells, enteric neurons and glial cells in horses for the first time