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Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats

A cathartic colon is characteristic of slow transit constipation (STC), which can result following the long-term use of irritant laxatives. In the present study, the involvement of three opioid receptor subtypes (μ, MOR; δ, DOR; and κ, KOR), regulator of G protein signaling 4 (RGS-4) and β-arrestin-...

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Autores principales: WU, JINSONG, LIU, BAOHUA, TONG, WEIDONG, ZHANG, ANPING, LI, FAN, LIN, JING, WANG, LI
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: D.A. Spandidos 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4353748/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25780414
http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/etm.2015.2233
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author WU, JINSONG
LIU, BAOHUA
TONG, WEIDONG
ZHANG, ANPING
LI, FAN
LIN, JING
WANG, LI
author_facet WU, JINSONG
LIU, BAOHUA
TONG, WEIDONG
ZHANG, ANPING
LI, FAN
LIN, JING
WANG, LI
author_sort WU, JINSONG
collection PubMed
description A cathartic colon is characteristic of slow transit constipation (STC), which can result following the long-term use of irritant laxatives. In the present study, the involvement of three opioid receptor subtypes (μ, MOR; δ, DOR; and κ, KOR), regulator of G protein signaling 4 (RGS-4) and β-arrestin-2 were investigated in the cathartic colon of rats. A rat model of a cathartic colon was established by feeding the animals with phenolphthalein, while normal rats were used as a control. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the opioid receptors, RGS-4 and β-arrestin-2 were detected in the rat colon using semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. The rat model of a cathartic colon was successfully established using the phenolphthalein stimulus, and was shown to result in shrunken myenteric neurons and loose muscle fibers in the intestinal wall. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the three opioid receptor subtypes, RGS-4 and β-arrestin-2 were significantly higher in the cathartic colon group when compared with the levels in the normal control group (all P<0.01). With regard to the protein expression levels, MOR protein increased 2.4 fold, DOR expression increased 1.5 fold, KOR levels increased 1.5 fold, RGS-4 protein increased 3.5 fold and β-arrestin-2 expression increased 2.0 fold. Therefore, the expression levels of opioid receptors were found to increase in the cathartic colons of the rats, indicating that opioid receptors and downstream RGS-4 and β-arrestin-2 signaling may play an important role in the pathogenesis of STC.
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spelling pubmed-43537482015-03-16 Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats WU, JINSONG LIU, BAOHUA TONG, WEIDONG ZHANG, ANPING LI, FAN LIN, JING WANG, LI Exp Ther Med Articles A cathartic colon is characteristic of slow transit constipation (STC), which can result following the long-term use of irritant laxatives. In the present study, the involvement of three opioid receptor subtypes (μ, MOR; δ, DOR; and κ, KOR), regulator of G protein signaling 4 (RGS-4) and β-arrestin-2 were investigated in the cathartic colon of rats. A rat model of a cathartic colon was established by feeding the animals with phenolphthalein, while normal rats were used as a control. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the opioid receptors, RGS-4 and β-arrestin-2 were detected in the rat colon using semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. The rat model of a cathartic colon was successfully established using the phenolphthalein stimulus, and was shown to result in shrunken myenteric neurons and loose muscle fibers in the intestinal wall. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the three opioid receptor subtypes, RGS-4 and β-arrestin-2 were significantly higher in the cathartic colon group when compared with the levels in the normal control group (all P<0.01). With regard to the protein expression levels, MOR protein increased 2.4 fold, DOR expression increased 1.5 fold, KOR levels increased 1.5 fold, RGS-4 protein increased 3.5 fold and β-arrestin-2 expression increased 2.0 fold. Therefore, the expression levels of opioid receptors were found to increase in the cathartic colons of the rats, indicating that opioid receptors and downstream RGS-4 and β-arrestin-2 signaling may play an important role in the pathogenesis of STC. D.A. Spandidos 2015-04 2015-01-29 /pmc/articles/PMC4353748/ /pubmed/25780414 http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/etm.2015.2233 Text en Copyright © 2015, Spandidos Publications http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 This is an open-access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. The article may be redistributed, reproduced, and reused for non-commercial purposes, provided the original source is properly cited.
spellingShingle Articles
WU, JINSONG
LIU, BAOHUA
TONG, WEIDONG
ZHANG, ANPING
LI, FAN
LIN, JING
WANG, LI
Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
title Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
title_full Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
title_fullStr Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
title_full_unstemmed Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
title_short Opioid receptors and associated regulator of G protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
title_sort opioid receptors and associated regulator of g protein signaling are involved in the cathartic colon of rats
topic Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4353748/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25780414
http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/etm.2015.2233
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