Postmortem analysis of vagus nerve pathology and intestinal neuroinflammation in Parkinson′s disease

Objective To investigate the roles of neuroinflammation and pathology of peripheral nervous system in the pathogenesis of Parkinson′s disease (PD). Methods Immunohistochemical staining was performed to examine the nodose ganglia (containing vagus nerve) and intestine of an autopsy case of PD. The neuroinflammation and morphological changes of vagus nerve and enteric nervous system were observed. Results The expressions and distributions of glial fibrillary acidic protein and ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1, two typical glia cell biomarkers, were different in vagus nerve and intestinal mucosa. Tumor necrosis factor α and inducible nitric oxide synthase were expressed in intestinal mucosa and myenteric plexus of the PD patient. There was a strong inflammatory reaction in the myenteric plexus, which distributed diffusely. Conclusion Satellite glial cells and intestinal inflammatory response may play a role in the pathogenesis of PD. Key words: Parkinson disease; Neuroinflammation; Enteric glial cells; Vagus nerve