The Expression And Its Significance Of AQP-1 In The Colon Of Patients With Hirschsprung’s Disease

Objective:To explain study the possible pathogenesis of ENS defection in HD,we now reveal the abnormal expression of a water channel protein,which named Aquaporin-1(AQP-1),in intestinal wall of Hirschsprung’s disease and the potential role AQP-1 played in the development of HD. Methods:Specimens were collected from resected colon in both aganglionic bowel segments and ganglionic segments of 65 HD patients.The control group colon was resected from 21 age-matched patients without HD. All specimens underwent haematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining,followed by immunostaining for AQP-1、Cathepsin D and S-100. Positively stained area density was evaluated at 400 magnification, calculating the sum of the areas which occupied on the basis of the positively stained area in plexuses. Result:1.The ganglionic cells were detected in the dilated Segments of HD and control group,which is failed in narrow segments by HE,also in immunohistochemical staining of Cathepsin-D and S-100;2. AQP-1 was strongly positive in Endothelial cells both within the aganglionic and ganglionic gut and control group.3.In the ganglionic cells and Schwann Cells of the dilated segments,AQP-1 was positive both in the Auerbach plexuses and Meissner plexuses but negative in most of(about 90.2%)the narrow group.4. Semi-quantitative analysis showed that the positive staining area percentage of AQP-1 has significant differences between the narrow segments and the dilated segments of HD(p<0.001).Conclusion:AQP-1 immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive in ganglionic cells both in the dilated segments group and the normal colon but mostly negative in the narrow segments group.We presumably that AQP-1 may play a important role in the intestinal nerve cells migration to induce the development of HD thus AQP-1can be useful as one of the neuronal markers for the diagnosis of HD.