Figure 2.

Specific classes of murine mechanosensitive colonic afferent become hypersensitive during and after inflammation. TNBS-induced colitis causes pronounced mechanical hypersensitivity in (A) high-threshold splanchnic (LSN): (A i) mesenteric afferents and (A ii) serosal afferents and (A iii) increases the percentage of afferents responding at a given stimulus intensity. These effects on mechanosensitivity become more apparent after resolution of inflammation (recovery; 30 days post-TNBS administration) when compared with acute conditions (7 days post-TNBS); (A iv) By contrast, pelvic (PN) high-threshold serosal afferents only become hypersensitivity following resolution from inflammation (recovery); (B) Low-threshold afferents display little or no change in mechanosensitivity after TNBS-induced colitis. Minor, but significant increases in mucosal responsiveness are observed in (B ii) mucosal and (B iii) muscular/mucosal afferents. By contrast, (B i) muscular and (B iii) muscular/mucosal afferent responses to stretch are unaffected by inflammation in the mouse. Modified from Hughes et al., [37] with permission.