Figure 1

Structural and functional abnormities exist in myenteric plexus ganglia of necrotizing enterocolitis patients. (A) Representative hematoxylin-and-eosin-stained sections from human small intestine resected for small bowel atresia (BA) in a newborn 33-week-gestation infant compared with an 11-day-old 31-week-gestation baby with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The control intestine shows a normal appearance of the intestine whereas epithelial sloughing was present in the intestine resected for NEC. (B) High-magnification images of myenteric ganglia (arrows) from a BA patient and a NEC patient (arrows). Ganglion cells are present in the myenteric plexus of intestinal sections in both images. (C), (D) Myenteric ganglia were subjected to immunohistochemistry using antibodies to HuC/D (gray staining of total neurons), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP; red staining of glial cells), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS; green staining of functional neurons producing nNOS). 4′,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole was used to counterstain nuclei. (C) Bowel resected for acute disease. (D) Bowel resected during stoma closure 2 to 3 months later. Scale bar: (A) 10 μm; (B), (C), (D) 50 μm.