STUDY ON
THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN ENTERIC GANGLIA IN THE COLON
Chen Leiling, Jin Xianqing
Department of General Surgery, Children's Hospital,
Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing, China
Objective: Many papers have showed the development and function of
neurons in the enteric ganglia, but failed to exhibit the information from
the glia cells in the enteric ganglia in detail, which compose the enteric
ganglia togather with neurons. To understand the enteric ganglia widely,
the morphologic change of human ganglia in the colon among different age
groups was examined.
Method: Quantitative estimation of the intraganglionic neuronal and
glia development was made in tissues from the various selected levels of
the colon in 15 normal human fetuses of 12-32 weeks ovulation age and 6
corpse of normal human, age ranging from 0.08 to 12 years.
Results: In normal human fetuses
and human corpse the density of the myenteric ganglia decreased with
increasing age, starting from 16 weeks ovulation age, failed to get any
information in tissues in 12 weeks ovulation age. The density submucous
ganglia increased from 16 to 24 weeks, and decreased from 28 weeks
ovulation. Nerve cell numbers per ganglion in the myenteric and submucous
ganglia increased from 16 to 28 weeks ovulation age, and did not vary with
age. The size of nerve increased with increasing age in the myenteric and
submucous ganglia. The glia cell numbers per ganglion in the myenteric and
submucous ganglia increased with age, and the glia/neuron ratio per
ganglion increased also. The size of glia cells increased with age, but not
as significant as neurons. A correlation between size of neurons and the
glia cell numbers ( and the glia / neuron ) per ganglion, and size of glia
cells existed. No any significant changes within the segments of the colon
were discovered.
Conclusion: Morphological changes
of the enteric ganglia during human development reflect not only the
changes of the enteric ganglia and neurons, but the changes of the enteric
glia cells.