Metabolism in the large intestine wall after injury of the thoracic spinal cord (experimental study)

Ailm: to assess metabolic processes in the serous layer of the large intestine in the acute period of spinal injury.Materials and Methods: the experiment was carried out on laboratory animals — Wistar rats (n = 20). Spinal injury was simulated by complete transection of the spinal cord at the level of Th5-Th6 vertebrae. Metabolic changes in the intestinal wall were assessed before injury, 3 and 24 hours after spinal cord transection. Metabolism was assessed in vivo using fluorescence time-resolved macroimaging technology (macroFLIM) by autofluorescence in the spectral channel of the metabolic cofactor NAD(P)H.Results: a significant (p = 0.041) increase in the mean fluorescence lifetime (τm) by 12% and the lifetime of the long component (τ2) of the NAD(P)H cofactor by 13% (p = 0.008) was detected 24 hours after injury. MacroFLIM showed an increase in the intensity of metabolism in the large intestine wall.Conclusion: for the first time in an in vivo experiment, it has been shown that the acute period of spinal injury is accompanied by an increase in metabolic activity in the tissues of the large intestine. The revealed phenomenon confirms the role of the large intestine in compensatory reactions to spinal injury and open up new possibilities for therapy in the acute period of spinal cord injury.