Digestive and Metabolic Actions of Dopamine
Nira Ben-Jonathan in Dopamine, 2020
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea, constipation or both. Almost 2 of 10 people suffer from IBS, with women being more affected than men. Causes include weak intestinal contractions that slow food passage, poorly coordinated signals between the brain and the intestines, inflammation or bacterial infection in the intestines, and changes in the intestinal microflora [21]. In a recent Polish study, serum and urinary serotonin and DA and their metabolites were analyzed in healthy controls, IBS patients with diarrhea (IBS-D), and IBS patients with constipation (IBS-C). Patients had their symptoms for at least 6 months and had stopped all medications 1 week before the test [22]. Patients with IBS-D had significantly higher blood levels of serotonin and urinary levels of its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) than healthy controls and patients with IBS-C, while those with IBS-C had higher plasma DA and urinary homovanylic acid (HVA) levels. It is unfortunate that blood levels of DA-S, the predominant circulating catecholamine in humans, were not analyzed in this study.
Endocannabinoid system: Regulatory function in health & disease
Betty Wedman-St. Louis in Cannabis, 2018
Cannabinoids have many functions in the digestive tract, including inhibition of gastric acid production, gastrointestinal motility, secretion transport as well as inflammation [47]. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder and is characterized by chronic abdominal pain and alterations in bowel function. CB1 receptor expression is found in human colonic epithelium and stomach parietal cells [48], while CB2 receptors are located throughout the gastrointestinal system from the lamina propria to the macrophages and myenteric and submucosal plexus ganglia of the ilium [49]. CB2 receptors likely involve inflammation control, visceral pain, and intestinal motility within the inflamed gut. Ni et al. [50] describes how gut dysbiosis and Crohn's disease may respond to therapeutic cannabinoid use. Cannabis improvement has been noted in relief of abdominal pain, improved appetite, and reduction of diarrheal symptoms [51].
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat in Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
Alcohol has been known to affect intestinal hyperpermeability (leaky gut), and many patients report that consumption of alcohol seems to worsen their IBS symptoms. While data on this question is limited, one observational study of women with IBS found that whereas binge drinking (greater than four drinks) was associated with worsening symptoms, moderate or mild drinking was either weakly associated or not associated with gastrointestinal symptoms at all (Reding et al. 2013). Guidelines for the dietary management of IBS have noted that alcohol can induce or worsen IBS symptoms, and recommend limiting alcohol intake and insuring such intake is “within safe national levels” (McKenzie et al. 2016; Dalrymple and Bullock 2008).
Vortioxetine treatment for major depressive disorder with the co-morbidity of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea: a case report
Published in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2018
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder that exhibits altered bowel habits and abdominal pain. IBS is derived from biological, psychological, and social factors and has no universally effective medical treatment [1]. Psychiatric disorders such as major depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders affect a broad range of IBS patients; however, psychiatric disorders and IBS are distinct disorders and not manifestations of a common somatization disorder [2]. In addition, gastrointestinal discomfort with emotional distress emerges difficulties in the daily functioning of the patients with IBS [3,4]. The different types of tricyclic antidepressants – e.g. amitriptyline, trimipramine, and desipramine – and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) – e.g. citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline – are used for improving the symptoms of IBS, but there was a lack of strong evidence to confirm the effectiveness of SSRIs for the treatment of IBS [5].
Meta-analysis of the relation between irritable bowel syndrome and antibodies against endogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its receptor
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2023
Karam R. Motawea, Joseph Varney, Mohamed Gamal, Kirellos Said Abbas, Fatma A. Monib, Mhd Kutaiba Albuni, Elias Battikh, Bisher Sawaf, Lina Taha Khairy, Agyad Bakkour, Ali Hadi Hussein Muwaili, Fatima Abubaker Abdalla Abdelmajid, Eman Mohammed Sharif Ahmed, Dhuha Hadi Hussein Muwaili, Safaa M. A. Ahmed, Sarya Swed
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder described by bloating, abdominal discomfort, and disturbed excretion.1 It has been shown to affect 10% to 15% of the population, with women being 1.5 to 3 times more likely to have it than men.2 The absence of any recognizable physical, radiologic, or laboratory abnormalities indicative of organic disease is a distinguishing factor of IBS.1 Causes of IBS have not been recognized, but it has been proposed that in IBS, the epithelial barrier, bile acids, food antigens, and gut microbes produce abnormal responses in the main controllers of sensorimotor functions, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, gut axis, enteric nervous system, and immune system.3 One possible explanation for IBS is antibodies against the gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors. GnRH is considered the primary controller of reproduction4 and is found within the enteric nervous system.5 It regulates secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone (LH), which then control both endocrine and gonadal function.4 Connections between sex hormones, notably progesterone, and gastrointestinal function have been hypothesized to explain why women are affected to a greater extent than men.6,7 Here, we introduce the first meta-analysis to investigate a link between IBS and GnRH autoantibodies and discuss the current literature on the relation between anti-GnRH antibodies and IBS.
Engraftment of strictly anaerobic oxygen-sensitive bacteria in irritable bowel syndrome patients following fecal microbiota transplantation does not improve symptoms
Published in Gut Microbes, 2021
Patrick Denis Browne, Frederik Cold, Andreas Munk Petersen, Sofie Ingdam Halkjær, Alice Højer Christensen, Stig Günther, Lars Hestbjerg Hansen
IBS is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and further symptoms, such as altered stool frequency, diarrhea, bloating or constipation, and it affects 10–15% of the global population.11,12 The etiology behind IBS is not fully understood, but low-grade intestinal inflammation caused by an altered gut microbiota has been correlated with IBS.3,13 The fact that there is a considerable risk of developing IBS following an episode of infectious gastroenteritis also implicates a correlation with the gut microbiome.14 The gut microbiome of patients with IBS is characterized by lower microbial diversity and changed abundances of certain bacteria compared to healthy controls. However, not all studies report these correlations and the differences in abundances of bacteria vary between study populations.15,16 Whether these changes are a cause or a consequence of the disease is still not fully understood, highlighting a major knowledge gap in the relationship between the gut microbiome and IBS.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Abdominal Pain
- Anxiety Disorder
- Defecation
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Quality of Life
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder
- Quality of Life
- Gut–Brain Axis
- Motility