Involvement of Tachykinins in Intestinal Inflammation

Author: Evangelista, S.

Source: Current Pharmaceutical Design, Volume 7, Number 1, 1 January 2001 , pp. 19-30(12)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

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Abstract:

The tachykinins, substance P, neurokinin A and neurokinin B are small peptides expressed in the extrinsic primary afferent nerve fibers and enteric neurons of the gut. Tachykinins exert a variety of biological actions mediated by three distinct receptors, termed NK 1 , NK 2 and NK 3 , and at the gastrointestinal level these peptides influence motility, electrolyte and fluid secretion and tissue homeostasis. Several intestinal disorders are associated with changes in the expression of the tachykinin system. Thanks to biological studies and receptor cloning, new selective tachykinins antagonists are now available and have been shown to be active in experimental gut disorders. Some of them are now under clinical trial in inflammatory bowel diseases and the irritable bowel syndrome. The body of preclinical data so far available seems to indicate that tachykinin antagonists might be a new therapeutic tool in the treatment of gut disorders.

Keywords: Tachykinins in Intestinal inflammation; Gene Expression; transmembrane Spanning Segments; L type calcium; Neural endopeptases; Sp positive neurons; Pre epithelial defense; Immunohistochemistry; Pathophsiological component; Zymosan induced colitis; Nepadutant treated; Nociceptive Stimuli; Receptor antagonist saredutant