The Expression And Significance Of Calretinin In The Colon Of Patients With Hirschsprung's Disease

Objectives:The distribution of Calreinin(CR) was investigated and compared with neurone specific enolase(NSE),S-100 protein(S-100),cathpsin D(CAD) by using immunohistochemical markers techniques in the control group and the ganglionic bowel segment and aganglionic segment of Hirschsprung's disease(HD) group.We aim to know some of the pathogenesis of HD and find a simple and sensitive diagnosis of HD.Methods:1.The specimens were collected from the resected colon in aganglionic bowel segments and ganglionic segments of 54 HD patients.The control group colon was resected from 15 age-matched patients without HD.2.All specimens were underwent haematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining and scanned first,then we used the immunostaining with CR,NSE,S-100,CAD. Immunostaining morphometric analysis of each was performed by image analysis program (Image-Pro-Plus).The positive stained area density was evaluated at×400 magnification by calculating the sum of the areas occupied by the positively stained area of the plexuses.Results:1.The ganglionic cells were detected in the dilated segments of HD by HE or immunohistochemical staining;The array of nerve fibres in the muscle layer were changed; and the ganglionic cells were not detected in the narrow segments.2.Calretinin immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive in ganglionic cells both in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses in the dilated segments of HD and the control group,and also it was positive in peripheral nerve fibers,but most of it(about 90.7%) was negative in the narrow segments of HD group;NSE immunohistochemical staining was positive in ganglionic cells and nerve fibers;S-100 immunohistochemical staining was negative in ganglionic cells,and CAD immunohistochemical staining was positive in ganglionic cells.3.The quantitive analysis shows that there are obvious differences in the expression of CR,NSE,S-100 and CD between the anglionic and aganglionic segments of HD.Conclusions:1.Calretinin immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive in ganglionic cells both in the dilated segments of HD group and the normal colon,also it was positive in the peripheral nerve fibers,but most of it was negative in the narrow segments of HD group.It can be a good neuronal marker in the diagnosis of HD.2.Most of the Calretinin immunohistochemical staining was obvious negative both in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses in the narrow segments of HD.It might help in the interpretation of smaller or submucosal biopsies and can serve as a simple and sentive diagnosis of HD.3.The Calretinin expression lost or decreased in the narrow bowel segment of HD. Calretinin could play a role in the pathogenesy of HD.