Search results for "enteric nervous system"

Nitric oxide synthase in the enteric nervous system of the guinea-pig: a quantitative description

1994

The distribution and abundance of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-containing neurons and their terminals in the gastrointestinal tract of the guinea-pig were examined in detail using NADPH diaphorase histochemistry and NOS immunohistochemistry. NOS-containing cell bodies were found in the myenteric plexus throughout the gastrointestinal tract and in the submucous plexus of the stomach, colon and rectum. NOS-containing neurons comprised between 12% (in the duodenum) and 54% (in the esophagus) of total myenteric neurons. In the ileum, NOS neurons represented 19% of total myenteric neurons. Most of the NOS neurons throughout the gastrointestinal tract possessed lamellar dendrites and a single axon…

GABA and GABA receptors in the gastrointestinal tract: from motility to inflammation

2015

Although an extensive body of literature confirmed γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as mediator within the enteric nervous system (ENS) controlling gastrointestinal (GI) function, the true significance of GABAergic signalling in the gut is still a matter of debate. GABAergic cells in the bowel include neuronal and endocrine-like cells, suggesting GABA as modulator of both motor and secretory GI activity. GABA effects in the GI tract depend on the activation of ionotropic GABAA and GABAC receptors and metabotropic GABAB receptors, resulting in a potential noteworthy regulation of both the excitatory and inhibitory signalling in the ENS. However, the preservation of GABAergic signalling in the gut …

2021

Four drugs are currently approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by the FDA. Three of these drugs—donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine—belong to the class of acetylcholine esterase inhibitors. Memantine, a NMDA receptor antagonist, represents the fourth and a combination of donepezil and memantine the fifth treatment option. Recently, the gut and its habitants, its microbiome, came into focus of AD research and added another important factor to therapeutic considerations. While the first data provide evidence that AD patients might carry an altered microbiome, the influence of administered drugs on gut properties and commensals have been largely ignored so far. However, t…

Rotavirus stimulates release of serotonin (5-HT) from human enterochromaffin cells and activates brain structures involved in nausea and vomiting

2011

Rotavirus (RV) is the major cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children. A virus-encoded enterotoxin, NSP4 is proposed to play a major role in causing RV diarrhoea but how RV can induce emesis, a hallmark of the illness, remains unresolved. In this study we have addressed the hypothesis that RV-induced secretion of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) by enterochromaffin (EC) cells plays a key role in the emetic reflex during RV infection resulting in activation of vagal afferent nerves connected to nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and area postrema in the brain stem, structures associated with nausea and vomiting. Our experiments revealed that RV can infect and replicate in human…

Peripheral motor action of glucagon like peptide-1 through enteric neuronal receptors.

2009

Peripheral motor action of glucagon-like peptide-1 through enteric neuronal receptors.

2010

Background Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a proglucagon-derived peptide expressed in the enteroendocrine-L cells of small and large intestine and released in response to meal ingestion. Glucagon-like peptide-1 exerts inhibitory effects on gastrointestinal motility through vagal afferents and central nervous mechanisms; however, no data is available about a direct influence on the gastrointestinal wall. Our aim was to investigate the effects of GLP-1 on the spontaneous and evoked mechanical activity of mouse duodenum and colon and to identify the presence and distribution of GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1R) in the muscle coat. Methods Organ bath recording technique and immunohistochemistry were …

Relaxation induced by menthol on mouse gastric tone: analysis of action mechanism.

2012

Role for D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors in the modulation of intestinal motility in mice

2015

Objective: In the last years a plethora of studies addressed dopamine (DA) as a modulator within the enteric nervous system (ENS), controlling gastrointestinal (GI) functions via activation of D1- and D2-like receptors. However, the effective role and functional significance of DA in the ENS, and the contribution of its receptors, are still a matter of debate. Pathological alterations of dopaminergic system in the gut may be likely implicated in different motor GI disorders, including dyspepsia and gastroparesis. Thus, a detailed characterization of the enteric dopaminergic signalling is necessary. The aim of this study was to explore the role of DA in the GI tract, using as model the mouse…

Dopaminergic signaling in mouse duodenum and postanatal developmental changes

2012

The glucagon-like Peptide-2

2011

Multiple peptide hormones produced within the gastrointestinal system act also in the central nervous system and aid in the regulation of energy homeostasis and metabolism. The list of these peptides is progressively increasing and includes glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) as an anorexigenic factor. GLP-2 is released from enteroendocrine L-cells following food intake and its principal target is represented by the gastrointestinal tract. GLP-2 has been shown to be an important intestinotrophic factor that stimulates epithelial cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis. GLP-2 increases intestinal blood flow and the activity and expression of epithelial brush-border digestive enzymes and nutrie…