Abstract
Diarrhoea is a common cause of death in children and weaned animals. Recent research has found that serotonin (5-HT) in the gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in regulating growth and the maintenance of mucosa, which protect against diarrhoea. To determine the influence of 5-HT on intestinal epithelium cell renewal under weaned stress diarrhoea, a weaned-stress diarrhoea mouse model was established with senna infusion (15 mL/Kg) via intragastric administration and stress restraint (SR). Mice with an increase in 5-HT were induced by intraperitoneal injection with citalopram hydrobromide (CH, 10 mg/Kg). The results demonstrated that compared with the control animals, diarrhoea appeared in weaned stress mice and the 5-HT content in the small intestine was significantly increased (P<0.05). Further, the caspase-3 cells and cells undergoing apoptosis in the small intestine were significantly increased, but the VH (villus height), V/C (villus height /crypt depth), and PCNA-positive rate significantly decreased. Compared with the control animals, CH increased the intestinal 5-HT content, caspase-3 cells and cells undergoing apoptosis but decreased the VH and V/C. Compared with both control and weaned stress animals, weaned stress animals that were pre-treated with CH showed higher 5-HT concentrations, positive caspase-3 cells and cells undergoing apoptosis but lower VH, V/C and PCNA-positive rate. In vitro, a low concentration of 5-HT inhibit, IEC-6 cell line apoptosis but a higher concentration of 5-HT promoted it. Therefore, weaned stress diarrhoea mice were accompanied by a 5-HT increase in the small intestine and vice versa, and the increase in 5-HT induced by CH caused diarrhoea. In brief, 5-HT and diarrhoea slowed the intestinal epithelium cell renewal and injured the abortion function and mucosal barrier by decreasing VH, V/C and proliferation and increasing epithelium cell apoptosis.