Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ahlman, H.
Right arrow Articles by Nilsson, O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ahlman, H.
Right arrow Articles by Nilsson, O.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Annals of Oncology 12:S63-S68, 2001
© 2001 European Society for Medical Oncology

Reviews

The gut as the largest endocrine organ in the body

H. Ahlman and O. Nilsson

Departments of Surgery and Pathology at the Lundberg Laboratory for Cancer Research, Göteborg University Göteborg, Sweden

Correspondence to: Dr H. Ahlman, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 413 45 Göteborg Sweden E-mail: hakan.ahlman{at}surgery.gu.se

Secretin, gastrin and cholecystokinin were the first discovered gut hormones. Today we recognize more than 30 gut hormone genes and a multitude of bioactive peptides, which make the gut the largest endocrine organ in the body. Due to structural homologies gut peptide hormones/growth factors have been divided into separate families. It has been emphasized that those peptides are widely distributed, but have a specific expression in different cell types. The intestine can also be regarded as a sensory organ operating via neurons, endocrine cells and immune cells with gut peptides as signalling substances. Expression studies of peptide receptors in gut neuroendocrine tumours in combination with tailored peptide analogs have been helpful in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. New fields of research will relate to gut peptides associated with deficiency diseases and as potential growth factors in malignancies. Enterochromaffin cells, interspersed throughout the entire gastrointestinal mucosa, form the largest endocrine cell system. The physiological role of hormonal messengers, peptide receptors and amine transporters is currently under investigation as well as their potential involvement in disease, e.g. the secretory diarrhea associated with midgut carcinoid tumours.

gastrointestinal tract, monoamines, neuroendocrine tumours, peptide hormones


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.