Interstitial Cells Of Cajal Increase With Age In Human Colon Of The Elderly

Aim: Recent studies have suggested that interstitial cells of Cain1 (ICC) act as pacemakers in gastrointestinal motility.It is known that the gastrointestinal motility decreases in the elderly.However, the changes in ICC with age are still unknown in elderly human In this study, the alternation of distribution or population of lCC with age was investigated in autopsy samples of the elderly colon.Methods: Tissue samples were obtained from ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum of the 24 autopsy examples without colorectal disease at Nagoyashi-Koseiin Geriatric Hospital (age 85.3 -+ 105 years old to average from 67 years old to 99 years old, woman 16 / man 8).All 120 samples were stained using immunohistochemical technique with c~Kit rabbit polyclonal antibody.The distribuuon and population of the ICC in the mnscularis propria were evaluated by" Image Processor for Analytical Pathology', We calculated the percentage of a c-Kit positive cell, and analyzed relationships with age, sex, ADL (a bedridden degree), nntnent method (oral or tube), and Alzbeimer neurofibrillary tangle.Results: Number of ICC increased with age in all part of the colon (y = 7 "10 ~ x -0.0024).Significant increase v,~th age in ICC was detected in the tran.wersecolon (y = 10 4 x -0.0057, pC0.05)Sigrtificamly higher ICC population was observed in descending colon(0,56% • 008) than the other part of the colon; sigmoid colon (0.45% • 007), transverse colon (0.40% -+ 0.06), rectum (0.24% -+ 0.03), and ascending colon (0.23% • 0.03).In a bedridden person group, ICC population was significantly higher compared with a non-bedridden person group (pC0.05)There is no correlation between man and woman, oral and tube nutrition, Alzheimer neurofibriflary tangle positive and negative.Conclusion: These resuks suggest that dismotili b" observed in the elderly was not induced by decrease in 1CC population.ICC population increases to compensate malfunction of the colon in the eldarly T1810