Patients with congenital anorectal malformation (ARM) often present with different degrees of defecation dysfunction severity following corrective operations. Therefore, studies on how to improve the postoperative defecation function of patients with ARM are of clinical importance. The present study investigated the expression of the HuD protein in the terminal rectum of ARM embryonic rats and explored the effect of HuD expression on the development of the intestinal nervous system. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into a control or ARM (induced by ethylene thiourea) group. The terminal rectums of the embryonic rats were obtained during pregnancy (20 days). The histological changes of the terminal rectum were observed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of the HuD protein was assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. In the control group, the histological structure of the terminal rectum was well‑defined and a large number of submucosal and intermuscular neurons with a rich cytoplasm and strong neuritis were observed. In the ARM group, the histological layers were ill‑defined and the number of neurons was small. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis demonstrated that the concentration of the HuD protein in the ARM group was significantly lower compared with the control group (312.90±53.40:456.40±57.13; 0.24±0.05:0.45±0.06, P<0.05). HuD was abnormally expressed in the terminal rectum of the ARM embryonic rats and may be involved in the development and maturation of the enteric nervous system. The present study may provide a useful theoretical reference for the treatment of postoperative defecation dysfunction in patients with ARM.

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