Immunomorphological Changes in Neuronal and Non-Neuronal Structures in the Rat Intestine in a Toxin-Induced Model of Parkinsonism

The damage to the enteric nervous system structures and the localization of total and phosphorylated α-synuclein, the main pathomorphological marker of parkinsonism, were studied by immunomorphological methods on small intestine wholemounts from rats with parkinsonism induced by systemic administration of paraquat. Reduced density of neurons in the myenteric ganglia and degenerative changes with accumulation of phosphorylated α-synuclein in sympathetic afferents to the small intestine were revealed. Phosphorylated α-synuclein was also found in non-neuronal cells located outside the ganglia. The revealed changes presumably reflect the initial stage of spreading of the pathological process during the development of Parkinson’s disease.