Characterisation of Intestinal Stem Cell Niche Constituents in Normal and Strangulated Equine Small Intestine

Aim: Death from colic results from acute circulatory failure secondary to intestinal ischaemia and sepsis. Multipotent stem cells normally reside within intestinal crypts and are the source of mucosal renewal that maintains barrier function. A better understanding of changes to intestinal cell populations during mucosal repair will facilitate future efforts directed at regenerative medicine. The aim of this research was to characterise the constituents of the stem cell niche in normal and strangulated equine intestine using biomarkers validated in other animal models. 

Methods: Tissues were collected from 3 healthy horses subjected to euthanasia for reasons unrelated to this project, and intra-operatively from 2 horses admitted to the NCSU Veterinary Health Complex that required small intestinal resection. Tissues were examined using immunofluorescence (IF) and western blots (WB). For IF, fixed tissues were embedded and sectioned. Protein was isolated from snap frozen mucosal scrapings, and semi- quantitative analysis of protein levels between groups was conducted using WB. [...]