Regulation of Appetite, Satiation, and Body Weight by Enteroendocrine Cells. Part 1: Characteristics of Enteroendocrine Cells and Their Capability of Weight Regulation

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract is the gateway for food in our body. Food ingestion and the ensuing digestive processes depend on the composition and amount of ingested nutrients. This complex process of nutrient digestion and absorption is effectively regulated by the enteroendocrine system. Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) reside scattered throughout the intestinal epithelium. They express nutrient receptors that face the lumen and secrete peptide hormones in response to food. Besides regulating digestion, gastrointestinal endocrine cells are involved in the regulation of appetite and satiety. The first part of this review describes the anatomical and biological characteristics of EECs and discusses the capability of their hormones to influence appetite, satiety, and body weight. In the second part, we then discuss the therapeutic potential of EECs in the treatment of obesity.

Dietary Slowly Digestible Starch Triggers the Gut–Brain Axis in Obese Rats with Accompanied Reduced Food Intake

“…[28,29] Satiation, which refers to processes leading to meal termination, is a within-meal effect governed by neural and humoral signals generated in response to ingested food through nutrient sensing. [30] That the ileal digestion property of the SDS used in this study is linked to changes in hypothalamic neuropeptides implies activation of the gut-brain axis, possibly through GLP-1 [8,31] and its related positive effect on satiation. [32] The reduction in NPY gene expression in DIO rats fed on the HF-SDS diet appears to have reduced appetite by signaling the animal to stop eating earlier in the same meal (higher satiation) than when consuming the HF-RDS diet.…”

“…Meal size has been related to satiation and meal number to satiety . Satiation, which refers to processes leading to meal termination, is a within‐meal effect governed by neural and humoral signals generated in response to ingested food through nutrient sensing . That the ileal digestion property of the SDS used in this study is linked to changes in hypothalamic neuropeptides implies activation of the gut–brain axis, possibly through GLP‐1 and its related positive effect on satiation .…”

Relationship Between Oligosaccharides and Glycoconjugates Content in Human Milk and the Development of the Gut Barrier

“…EECs play a pivotal role in sensing luminal components derived from diet. These intestinal hormones signal for intestinal satiety (Posovszky & Wabitsch, 2015). TLRs reside also on the surface of EECs and because of these, they are considered to operate also as immune sensors (Bogunovic et al, 2007).…”

Regulation of Appetite, Satiation, and Body Weight by Enteroendocrine Cells. Part 2: Therapeutic Potential of Enteroendocrine Cells in the Treatment of Obesity

“…The neuronal input of satiety from the periphery is mediated via the vagus nerve to the brain stem and the nucleus tractus solitarius. Gut hormones play an important role in the digestive process, regulating appetite and satiety via the gut-brain axis as reviewed in part 1 [11]. Ghrelin, PYY, GLP-1, and cholecystokinin (CCK) are released in the periphery in response to the presence or absence of nutrients in the gut and are able to act peripherally on the vagus nerve and centrally on target areas in the hypothalamus (fig.…”

“…EECs revolve continuously from pluripotent intestinal stem cells from the villous crypts [11]. Differentiation is controlled by basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors.…”