2020 Feb 5;139:109613. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109613.Author information
Abstract
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is idiopathic, chronic and affects the gastrointestinal tract. It results from the association of genetic, environmental and immune deregulation, which culminates in the development and progression of the inflammatory process. In an attempt to reverse colonic inflammation, endogenous systems involved in intestinal physiology are studied and the cholinergic system is fundamental for this process. In addition, this system has anti-inflammatory action in experimental models of IBD. Another important endogenous system in regulating the exacerbated inflammatory response in the gut is mediated by endocannabinoids, which play an important role in restoring bowel functionality after the onset of the inflammatory process. There are several reports in the literature showing the interconnection between the cannabinoid and cholinergic systems in different tissues. Considering that the activation of the cholinergic system stimulates the production of cannabinoid agonists in the intestine, our hypothesis is that the interaction between the muscarinic system and the cannabinoid in the control of intestinal inflammation is mediated by endogenous cannabinoids, since they are stimulated by the activation of muscarinic receptors.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS: Endocannabinoid, Gastrointestinal tract, Inflammation, Muscarinic
- PMID: 32085982
- DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109613
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
