Postnatal developmental changes in the dopaminergic signaling in mouse gut

The presence of dopamine-containing neurons in the enteric nervous system has been described, but it is far to be clear their role in the modulation of gut motility. Moreover, ontogenetic studies shows that dopaminergic neurons are late-developing neurons, arising perinatally, but there are no informations if dopaminergic signaling may undergo to developmental changes after birth, as demonstrated for other signaling. Thus, using a pharmacological approach, we examined, in vitro, the role of dopaminergic neurons in the regulation of duodenal contractility in neonatal mice (≤48 h postnatal) compared to the adults. Transcripts for all dopaminergic receptors were detected in mouse duodenum at e…

Dopaminergic signaling in mouse duodenum and postanatal developmental changes