Diabetes-Related Induction of the Heme Oxygenase System and Enhanced Colocalization of Heme Oxygenase 1 and 2 with Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Myenteric Neurons of Different Intestinal Segments

Figure 5

Quantitative evaluation of the total number of HO1-IR neurons (a), the number of nNOS-HO1-IR neurons (b), the proportion of HO1-IR neurons colocalizing with nNOS (c), and the proportion of nNOS-IR neurons colocalizing with HO1 (d) in the myenteric ganglia of the duodenum, ileum, and colon of control and diabetic rats. Except for the duodenum, the total number of HO1-IR neurons and the number of nNOS-HO1-IR myenteric neurons displayed a robust increase in the ileum and colon of diabetic rats. The percentage of HO1-IR neurons colocalizing with nNOS did not change in the different intestinal segments. However, the proportion of nNOS-IR neurons colocalizing with HO1 exhibited a nearly 8-fold increase in the ileum and a more than 2-fold increase in the colon of diabetics. Data are expressed as means ± SEM. , , and (between controls and diabetics). C: controls; D: diabetics.

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