Gastrointestinal Peptides Flashcards
1
Q
What is the role of the gut-brain axis?
A
- Provides sensory feedback to the CNS on: presence or absence of foods, quantity of nutrients ingested, type of nutrients ingested
- Involved in: regulation of GI secretions, regulating meal termination (satiation), inhibition of the next meal (satiety), promotion of food consumption (meal initiation)
2
Q
Explain how the gut-brain axis functions.
A
- Neural communication via activation of vagal afferents (lamina propria)
- Monitor presence/absence of nutrients
- Trigger appropriate behavioral changes
- Gastric, pancreatic secretion
- Gastric emptying
- Regulation of food intake
3
Q
How is the presence or absence of nutrients monitored?
A
- Enteroendocrine cells (EECS): release peptides in response to chemical or mechanical stimuli
- Neuromodulatory lipids: endocannabinoids
- Specific afferents respond to stretch and tension
4
Q
Explain signal production in the GI tract (orexigenic/ anorexigenic/ satiety).
A
- Anorexigenic and orexigenic signals are secreted all along the GI tract
- Stomach, proximal, and distal intestine can all produce satiety signals (signal causes the sensation of fullness -> decrease in meal size and impairing its activity results in an increase in food intake; it does not lead to an illness or malaise but is associated with a normal behavior and it is stimulated by ingested food with a temporal profile)
- Stomach and proximal intestinal can produce orexigenic signals
5
Q
Explain anorexigenic signals in the stomach.
A
- Gastric leptin: accounts for 25% of circulating leptin
- Activates Ob-R (leptin receptor) on vagal afferents
- Can act centrally (hypothalamus)
6
Q
Explain orexigenic signals in the stomach.
A
- Ghrelin: produced in the absence of food (hunger) by A/X like cells in the fundus of the stomach
- Circulating ghrelin increases with fastin and peaks before a meal
- Acts via activation of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) on vagal afferents
7
Q
Explain anorexigenic signals in the proximal small intestine (duodenum and jejunum).
A
- Cholecystokinin (CCK): released by I cells in the upper GI in the presence of fatty acids and proteins
- Delays gastric emptying, stimulate gastric and pancreatic secretions
- Reduces food intake
- Acts via activation of CCK1R on vagal afferents
8
Q
Explain anorexigenic signals in the distal GI tract.
A
- Glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1): released from L cells in the distal gut in response to nutrients, neuro-hormonal stimulation from the proximal gut (especially carbs, long-chain unsaturated fatty acids)
- Derived from proglucagon, degraded rapidly by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-IV)
- Plasma levels increase within a few minutes after a meal and remain high for more than two hours
- Acts as an incretin (helps insulin function or be secreted), delays gastric emptying, and reduced food intake
- Acts via activation of GLP-1R on vagal afferents
- Major component of the ileal brake
9
Q
Ileal Brake
A
Negative feedback loop aimed at regulating nutrient transit and promoting satiety (everything slows)
10
Q
Peptide Tyrosine-Tyrosine (PYY)
A
- Major component of the ileal brake
- Localized in ileum and colon
- Secreted by L cells
- Degraded by DPP-IV
- Release stimulated by nutrients (proteins)
- Decreases food intake and gastric emptying
- High affinity for presynaptic inhibitory Y2 receptor, Y2R
- Stimulates vagal afferent firing
11
Q
Leptin
A
- Stomach
- Stimulated by presence of food
- Secreted from chief cells
- Receptor: Ob-r
- Decreases intake
12
Q
Ghrelin
A
- Stomach
- Stimulated by an empty stomach
- Secreted from A/X like in oxyntic glands
- Receptor: GHS-R
- Increases intake
13
Q
CCK
A
- Duodenum and jejunum
- Stimulated by lipids and proteins
- Secreted by I cells
- Receptor: CCKR1
- Decreases intake
14
Q
GLP-1
A
- Ileum and colon
- Stimulated by lipids and proteins
- Secreted by L cells
- Receptor: Y2-R
- Decreases intake
15
Q
Nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS)
A
- Signals from GI to vagus nerve to brainstem (NTS)
- POMC, Catecholamine neurons, TH neurons, and GLP-1 neurons activated in NTS