Validation and Characterization of a Novel Method for Selective Vagal Deafferentation of the Gut. Diepenbroek C, Quinn D, Stephens R, Zollinger B, Anderson S, Pan A, de Lartigue G. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2017. PMID: 28705805
The authors Injected CCK-SAP (Cat. #IT-31) into the nodose ganglia (NG) of rats to specifically ablate GI‐VAN (vagal afferent neurons). CCK-SAP ablates a sub-population of VAN in culture. In vivo, CCK-SAP injection into the NG reduces VAN innervating the mucosal and muscular layers of the stomach and small intestine, but not the colon, while leaving vagal efferent neurons intact. This study provides evidence that injection of CCK-SAP in NG is a novel selective vagal deafferentation technique of the upper GI tract that works in multiple vertebrate models. This method provides superior separation of afferent and efferent signaling compared to vagotomy, capsaicin, and subdiaphragmatic deafferentation.
CCK-SAP (Cat. #IT-31)
This targeted toxin is a chemical conjugate of sulfonated cholecystokinin (CCK) and the ribosome-inactivating protein, saporin. CCK is widely distributed in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. CCK-SAP eliminates cells recognizing sulfonated CCK. All other cells are left untouched.