Role of galanin receptor 1 in gastric motility in rat

Regulatory Influence of Galanin and GALR1/GALR2 Receptors on Inflamed Uterus Contractility in Pigs

Uterine inflammation is a very common and serious pathology in domestic animals, the development and progression of which often result from disturbed myometrial contractility. We investigated the effect of inflammation on the protein expression of galanin (GAL) receptor subtypes (GALR)1 and GALR2 in myometrium and their role in the contractile amplitude and frequency of an inflamed gilt uterus. The gilts of the E. coli and SAL groups received E. coli suspension or saline in their uteri, respectively, and only laparotomy was performed (CON group). Eight days later, the E. coli group developed severe acute endometritis and lowered GALR1 protein expression in the myometrium. Compared to the pretreatment period, GAL (10⁻⁷ M) reduced the amplitude and frequency in myometrium and endometrium/myometrium of the CON and SAL groups, the amplitude in both stripes and frequency in endometrium/myometrium of the E. coli group. In this group, myometrial frequency after using GAL increased, and it was higher than in other groups. GALR2 antagonist diminished the decrease in amplitude in myometrium and the frequency in endometrium/myometrium (SAL, E. coli groups) induced by GAL (10⁻⁷ M). GALR1/GALR2 antagonist and GAL (10⁻⁷ M) reversed the decrease in amplitude and diminished the decrease in frequency in both examined stripes (CON, SAL groups), and diminished the drop in amplitude and abolished the rise in the frequency in the myometrium (E. coli group). In summary, the inflammation reduced GALR1 protein expression in pig myometrium, and GALR1 and GALR2 participated in the contractile regulation of an inflamed uterus.

Inferior vagal ganglion galaninergic response to gastric ulcers

Galanin is a neuropeptide widely expressed in central and peripheral nerves and is known to be engaged in neuronal responses to pathological changes. Stomach ulcerations are one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. Impaired stomach function in peptic ulcer disease suggests changes in autonomic nerve reflexes controlled by the inferior vagal ganglion, resulting in stomach dysfunction. In this paper, changes in the galaninergic response of inferior vagal neurons to gastric ulceration in a pig model of the disease were analyzed based on the authors' previous studies. The study was performed on 24 animals (12 control and 12 experimental). Gastric ulcers were induced by submucosal injections of 40% acetic acid solution into stomach submucosa and bilateral inferior vagal ganglia were collected one week afterwards. The number of galanin-immunoreactive perikarya in each ganglion was counted to determine fold-changes between both groups of animals and Q-PCR was applied to verify the changes in relative expression level of mRNA encoding both galanin and its receptor subtypes: GalR1, GalR2, GalR3. The results revealed a 2.72-fold increase in the number of galanin-immunoreactive perikarya compared with the controls. Q-PCR revealed that all studied genes were expressed in examined ganglia in both groups of animals. Statistical analysis revealed a 4.63-fold increase in galanin and a 1.45-fold increase in GalR3 mRNA as compared with the controls. No differences were observed between the groups for GalR1 or GalR2. The current study confirmed changes in the galaninergic inferior vagal ganglion response to stomach ulcerations and demonstrated, for the first time, the expression of mRNA encoding all galanin receptor subtypes in the porcine inferior vagal ganglia.

Alterations in Galanin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Enteric Nervous System of the Porcine Stomach Following Acrylamide Supplementation

In recent years, a significant increase in the consumption of products containing large amounts of acrylamide (e.g., chips, fries, coffee), especially among young people has been noted. The present study was created to establish the impact of acrylamide supplementation, in tolerable daily intake (TDI) dose and a dose ten times higher than TDI, on the population of galanin-like immunoreactive (GAL-LI) stomach neurons in pigs. Additionally, in the present study, the possible functional co-operation of GAL with other neuroactive substances and their role in acrylamide intoxication was investigated. Using double-labelling immunohistochemistry, alterations in the expression of GAL were examined in the porcine stomach enteric neurons after low and high doses of acrylamide supplementation. Generally, upregulation in GAL-LI immunoreactivity in both myenteric and submucous plexuses was noted in all stomach fragments studied. Additionally, the proportion of GAL-expressing cell bodies simultaneously immunoreactive to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and cocaine- and amphetamine- regulated transcript peptide (CART) also increased. The results suggest neurotrophic or/and neuroprotective properties of GAL and possible co-operation of GAL with VIP, nNOS, CART in the recovery processes in the stomach enteric nervous system (ENS) neurons following acrylamide intoxication.

The Influence of Gastric Antral Ulcerations on the Expression of Galanin and GalR1, GalR2, GalR3 Receptors in the Pylorus with Regard to Gastric Intrinsic Innervation of the Pyloric Sphincter

Gastric antrum ulcerations are common disorders occurring in humans and animals. Such localization of ulcers disturbs the gastric emptying process, which is precisely controlled by the pylorus. Galanin (Gal) and its receptors are commonly accepted to participate in the regulation of inflammatory processes and neuronal plasticity. Their role in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility is also widely described. However, there is lack of data considering antral ulcerations in relation to changes in the expression of Gal and GalR1, GalR2, GalR3 receptors in the pyloric wall tissue and galaninergic intramural innervation of the pylorus. Two groups of pigs were used in the study: healthy gilts and gilts with experimentally induced antral ulcers. By double immunocytochemistry percentages of myenteric and submucosal neurons expressing Gal-immunoreactivity were determined in the pyloric wall tissue and in the population of gastric descending neurons supplying the pyloric sphincter (labelled by retrograde Fast Blue neuronal tracer). The percentage of Gal-immunoreactive neurons increased only in the myenteric plexus of the pyloric wall (from 16.14±2.06% in control to 25.5±2.07% in experimental animals), while no significant differences in other neuronal populations were observed between animals of both groups. Real-Time PCR revealed the increased expression of mRNA encoding Gal and GalR1 receptor in the pyloric wall tissue of the experimental animals, while the expression(s) of GalR2 and GalR3 were not significantly changed. The results obtained suggest the involvement of Gal, GalR1 and galaninergic pyloric myenteric neurons in the response of pyloric wall structures to antral ulcerations.

Galanin and its receptors: a novel strategy for appetite control and obesity therapy

The rapid increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity is becoming an important health problem. Overweight and obesity may cause several metabolic complications, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease as well as hypertension. Prevention and treatment of obesity will benefit the treatment of these related diseases. Current strategies for treatment of obesity are not adequately effective and are frequently companied with many side effects. Thus, new ways to treat obesity are urgently needed. Galanin is undoubtedly involved in the regulation of food intake and body weight. The aim of this review is to provide up-to-date knowledge concerning the roles of central and peripheral galanin as well as its receptors in the regulation of metabolism, obesity and appetite. We also highlight the mechanisms of galanin and its receptors in experimental obesity, trying to establish a novel anti-obesity strategy.

Modulation of gastric motility by brain-gut peptides using a novel non-invasive miniaturized pressure transducer method in anesthetized rodents

Acute in vivo measurements are often the initial, most practicable approach used to investigate the effects of novel compounds or genetic manipulations on the regulation of gastric motility. Such acute methods typically involve either surgical implantation of devices or require intragastric perfusion of solutions, which can substantially alter gastric activity and may require extended periods of time to allow stabilization or recovery of the preparation. We validated a simple, non-invasive novel method to measure acutely gastric contractility, using a solid-state catheter pressure transducer inserted orally into the gastric corpus, in fasted, anesthetized rats or mice. The area under the curve of the phasic component (pAUC) of intragastric pressure (IGP) was obtained from continuous manometric recordings of basal activity and in responses to central or peripheral activation of cholinergic pathways, or to abdominal surgery. In rats, intravenous ghrelin or intracisternal injection of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone agonist, RX-77368, significantly increased pAUC while coeliotomy and cacal palpation induced a rapid onset inhibition of phasic activity lasting for the 1-h recording period. In mice, RX-77368 injected into the lateral brain ventricle induced high-amplitude contractions, and carbachol injected intraperitoneally increased pAUC significantly, while coeliotomy and cecal palpation inhibited baseline contractile activity. In wild-type mice, cold exposure (15 min) increased gastric phasic activity and tone, while there was no gastric response in corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-overexpressing mice, a model of chronic stress. Thus, the novel solid-state manometric approach provides a simple, reliable means for acute pharmacological studies of gastric motility effects in rodents. Using this method we established in mice that the gastric motility response to central vagal activation is impaired under chronic expression of CRF.

Immunohistochemical localization of galanin receptors (GAL-R1, GAL-R2, and GAL-R3) on myenteric neurons from the sheep and dog stomach

Galanin exerts its biological activities (inhibitory or excitatory) via three different G protein-coupled receptors. In the present study, double immunocytochemical labeling was used to localize GAL-R1, GAL-R2 and GAL-R3 on PGP 9.5-positive myenteric neurons from the dog and sheep stomach/forestomachs. In both species, the occurrence of galanin in neurons and nerve fibers of gastric ganglia was also studied. Myenteric ganglia of the dog stomach were supplied with numerous, mainly varicose, galanin-immunoreactive (IR) nerve terminals whereas the frequency of galanin-positive nerve fibers in myenteric ganglia of the ovine stomach and forestomachs was moderate. The number of PGP 9.5-IR/galanin-IR myenteric neurons was significantly lower in the dog stomach (12.3+/-1.3%) as compared to the sheep rumen (20.1+/-0.7%), omasum (19.5+/-2.9%), abomasum (23.8+/-1.2%) but not reticulum (8.1+/-0.8%). In the canine stomach the frequencies of GAL-R1, GAL-R2 and GAL-R3 expressing myenteric neurons were statistically equivalent (4.4+/-0.9%, 3.5+/-0.7% and 3.1+/-0.5%, respectively). Immunoreactivity to GAL-R1 was absent in myenteric ganglia from the ovine rumen, reticulum as well as omasum. GAL-R1 was localized on 0.5+/-0.3% of myenteric perikarya from the abomasum. GAL-R2 bearing myenteric neurons were localized in the ovine rumen (0.6+/-0.3%), reticulum (0.5+/-0.3%), omasum (1.0+/-0.2%) and abomasum (1.1+/-0.3%). The percentages of PGP 9.5-IR/GAL-R3-IR neurons were 0.8+/-0.2% in the rumen, 0.6+/-0.3% in the reticulum, 0.7+/-0.2% in the omasum and 0.9+/-0.3% in the abomasum. In all compartments of the sheep stomach, the proportions of GAL-R1, GAL-R2 and GAL-R3 expressing neurons were significantly lower when compared to analogous neuronal subpopulations present in the dog. It is suggested that, although endogenous galanin may potentially inhibit or stimulate the activity of sparse gastric enteric neurons, its general role in indirect mediation of gastric motility and/or secretion seems to be of minor importance.

Expression of galanin receptor messenger RNAs in different regions of the rat gastrointestinal tract

Galanin effects are mediated by three G-protein-coupled receptors: galanin receptor 1 (GalR1), GalR2 and GalR3. We quantified mRNA levels of GalR1, GalR2 and GalR3 in the rat stomach, small and large intestine using real-time RT-PCR. All three GalR mRNAs were detected throughout the gut at different levels. GalR1 and GalR2 mRNA levels were higher in the large than in the small intestine. GalR2 mRNA was most abundant in the stomach. GalR3 mRNA levels were generally quite low. The differential regional distribution of GalRs suggests that the complex effects of galanin in the gut are the result of activating multiple receptor subtypes, whose density, subtype and signaling vary along the gastrointestinal tract.