Pleiotropic effects of bombesin and neurotensin on intestinal mucosa: Not just trefoil peptides

Abstract

B o m b e s i n a n d n e u ro t e n s i n a re n e u ro p e p t i d e s which exert a wide spectrum of biological actions on gastrointestinal tissues influencing intestinal growth and adaptation, intestinal motility, blood flow, secretion, nutrient absorption and immune response. B ased mainly on their well-established potent enterotrophic effect, numerous experimental studies investigated their potential positive effect on the atrophic or injured intestinal mucosa. These peptides proved to be effective mucosa-healing factors, but the potential molecular and cellular mechanisms for this action remained unresolved. In a recently published study (World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(8): 1222-1230, it was shown that their protective effect on the intestine in experimentally induced inflammatory bowel disease was related to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiapoptotic actions. These results are in close agreement with our previous studies on jaundiced and hepatectomized rats that showed a regulatory effect of bombesin and neurotensin on critical cellular processes such as enterocyte' proliferation and death, oxidative stress and redox equilibrium, tight junctions' formation and function, and inflammatory response. The pleiotropic effects of bombesin and neurotensin on diverse types of intestinal injury may justify their consideration for clinical trials.

Neurotensin Decreases the Proinflammatory Status of Human Skin Fibroblasts and Increases Epidermal Growth Factor Expression

“…Furthermore, NT-NTR3 mediated response will have a later effect in comparison to NT-NTR1 mediated response because NTR1 is located at the cell membrane and the activation of this signalling pathway does not require NT internalization. Furthermore, upon NT binding to its receptors, NT activates different signalling pathways and cell responses, such as chemokine and cytokine expression, as previously described by us for a dendritic cell line and by others [ 4 , 9 , 18 – 25 ].…”

Changes of Gastric Secretion after Bolus and Slow Intravenous Administration of Bombesin and Neurotensin

“…A large variety of biological actions on gastrointestinal tissues which affect intestinal development and adjustment, blood flow, secretion, intestinal motility, absorption of nutrients and immune response are exerted by the neuropeptides bombesin (BBS) and neurotensin (NT) (1).…”