Research Conducted at Columbia University Has Updated Our Knowledge about Tryptamines

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- Current study results on Tryptamines have been published. According to news reporting originating in New York City, New York, by NewsRx editors, the research stated, "Although the gut contains most of the body's 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), many of its most important functions have recently been discovered. This review summarizes and directs attention to this new burst of knowledge."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Columbia University, "Enteroendocrine cells have classically been regarded as pressure sensors, which secrete 5-HT to initiate peristaltic reflexes; nevertheless, recent data obtained from studies of mice that selectively lack 5-HT either in enterochromaffin cells (deletion of tryptophan hydroxylase 1 knockout; TPH1KO) or neurons (TPH2KO) imply that neuronal 5-HT is more important for constitutive gastrointestinal transit than that of enteroendocrine cells. The enteric nervous system of TPH2KO mice, however, also lacks a full complement of neurons; therefore, it is not clear whether slow transit in TPH2KO animals is due to their neuronal deficiency or absence of serotonergic neurotransmission. Neuronal 5-HT promotes the growth/maintenance of the mucosa as well as neurogenesis. Enteroendocrine cell derived 5-HT is an essential component of the gastrointestinal inflammatory response; thus, deletion of the serotonin transporter increases, whereas TPH1KO decreases the severity of intestinal inflammation. Enteroendocrine cell derived 5-HT, moreover, is also a hormone, which inhibits osteoblast proliferation and promotes hepatic regeneration."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "New studies show that enteric 5-HT is a polyfunctional signalling molecule, acting both in developing and mature animals as a neurotransmitter paracrine factor, endocrine hormone and growth factor."

For more information on this research see: 5-Hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) in the gastrointestinal tract. Current Opinion in Endocrinology Diabetes and Obesity, 2013;20(1):14-21. Current Opinion in Endocrinology Diabetes and Obesity can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 530 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3621, USA (see also Tryptamines).

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting M.D. Gershon, Columbia University, Coll Phys & Surg, Dept. of Pathol & Cell Biol, New York, NY 10032, United States.

Keywords for this news article include: Cells, Neurons, Autacoids, Serotonin, Tryptamines, New York City, United States, Biogenic Amines, Organic Chemicals, North and Central America

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