Browsing by Subject "5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)"

Understanding the link between the gut microbiota, diet and the enteric nervous system is of significant importance in the prevention of gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of the study was to answer two questions: Firstly, is butyrate able to stimulate the luminal release of serotonin? Secondly, in which parts of the gastrointestinal tract does this possibly occur? These questions are of interest, due to the importance of the serotonergic signalling in the enteric nervous system. We created a luminal perfusion system to investigate the effect of butyrate in the gastrointestinal tract of male Wistar rats (500-550g). We isolated the stomach and 4 cm long segments of the duodenum, jejunum and colon. To our knowledge this form of physiological ex vivo studies investigating the entire gastrointestinal tract have not been done previously. The isolated stomach and the isolated intestinal segments were luminally perfused with 100 mM butyrate for 10 min respectively 45 min. The tissues were homogenized after the luminal perfusion. Serotonin and its main metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were assayed using commercial ELISA kits. Our results showed that butyrate significantly stimulates the release of 5-HIAA in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum and colon. Butyrate seems also to have a positive trend-effect on the release of serotonin itself in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum and colon. Although, there is a future potential for preventing gastrointestinal disorders with the help of diet and gut microbiota, the possible clinical significance of our results should be considered carefully.