The gut as a sensory organ

JB Furness, LR Rivera, HJ Cho, DM Bravo… - Nature reviews …, 2013 - nature.com
JB Furness, LR Rivera, HJ Cho, DM Bravo, B Callaghan
Nature reviews Gastroenterology & hepatology, 2013nature.com
The gastrointestinal tract presents the largest and most vulnerable surface to the outside
world. Simultaneously, it must be accessible and permeable to nutrients and must defend
against pathogens and potentially injurious chemicals. Integrated responses to these
challenges require the gut to sense its environment, which it does through a range of
detection systems for specific chemical entities, pathogenic organisms and their products
(including toxins), as well as physicochemical properties of its contents. Sensory information …
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract presents the largest and most vulnerable surface to the outside world. Simultaneously, it must be accessible and permeable to nutrients and must defend against pathogens and potentially injurious chemicals. Integrated responses to these challenges require the gut to sense its environment, which it does through a range of detection systems for specific chemical entities, pathogenic organisms and their products (including toxins), as well as physicochemical properties of its contents. Sensory information is then communicated to four major effector systems: the enteroendocrine hormonal signalling system; the innervation of the gut, both intrinsic and extrinsic; the gut immune system; and the local tissue defence system. Extensive endocrine–neuro–immune–organ-defence interactions are demonstrable, but under-investigated. A major challenge is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the integrated responses of the gut to the sensory information it receives. A major therapeutic opportunity exists to develop agents that target the receptors facing the gut lumen.
nature.com