Abstract
Treatment for chronic constipation in older people is challenging and the condition has a major impact on quality of life. A lack of understanding about the causes of this condition has hampered the development of effective treatments. 5-HT is an important pro-kinetic agent in the colon. We examined whether alterations in colonic 5-HT signalling underlie age–related changes in faecal output in mice and whether these changes were due to an increase in TNF-α. Components of the 5-HT signalling system (5-HT, 5-HIAA, SERT) and TNF-α expression were examined in the distal colon of 3, 12, 18 and 24-month old mice and faecal output and water content monitored under control conditions and following the administration of etanercept (TNF-α inhibitor; 1mg Kg-1). Faecal output and water content were reduced in aged animals. Age increased mucosal 5-HT availability and TNF-α expression and decreased mucosal SERT expression and 5-HIAA. Etanercept treatment of old mice reversed these changes, suggesting that age-related changes in TNFα expression are an important regulator of mucosal 5-HT signalling and pellet output and water content in old mice. These data point to “anti-TNFα” drugs as potential treatments for age-related chronic constipation.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 42754 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Scientific Reports |
Volume | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Feb 2017 |
Bibliographical note
© The Author(s) 2017. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Fingerprint
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Melanie Flint
- School of Applied Sciences - Professor of Stress and Cancer Research
- Centre for Lifelong Health
Person: Academic
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Bhavik Patel
- School of Applied Sciences - Prof. Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
- Applied Chemical Sciences Research Excellence Group
- Centre for Lifelong Health
Person: Academic
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Mark Yeoman
- School of Applied Sciences - Professor of Neuropharmacology
- Centre for Lifelong Health - Director
Person: Academic