Recent Developments in the Role of Enteroendocrine Cells in Gastrointestinal and Non-gastrointestinal Disorders

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2836

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan
Interests: enteroendocrine cells; microbiota; gut hormones; intestinal ultrasound; endoscopic ultrasound; IBS; IBD

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Guest Editor
Medisinsk Undersøkelse, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
Interests: colorectal cancer; inflammatory bowel disease; sonography; irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); gastroenterology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Enteroendocrine cells are a specialized type of cells that line the gastrointestinal tract. They contain specialized microvilli that can sense luminal contents such as micronutrients, microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids, and secrete gut hormones to control the functions of the gastrointestinal tract. These gut hormones affect other organs, and are thus used as drugs for the treatment of diseases outside of the gastrointestinal tract.

Research during the last decade has found that enteroendocrine cells play an important role in several gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and microscopic colitis, as well as in non-gastrointestinal disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and Parkinson’s disease. Several methods have been used to investigate the disturbances of these cells, some of which include disturbances in cellular quantity, function, stem origin, and genetics.  

However, more research is needed to elaborate the role of these specialized cells in gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal disorders. In this Special Issue, we aim to highlight such research. We would like to welcome all researchers to submit their articles to this Special Issue concerning recent developments in the role of enteroendocrine cells in gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal disorders.

Dr. Tarek Mazzawi
Prof. Dr. Trygve Hausken
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • enteroendocrine
  • stem cells
  • quantification
  • transcriptome
  • immunohistochemistry
  • gut hormones
  • obesity
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • diabetes
  • IBD

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

26 pages, 6586 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Assessment of Cannabidiol and HU308 in Acute and Chronic Colitis Models: Efficacy, Safety, and Mechanistic Innovations
by Dinesh Thapa, Mohan Patil, Leon N Warne, Rodrigo Carlessi and Marco Falasca
Cells 2024, 13(23), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13232013 - 5 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1781
Abstract
Cannabinoids are emerging as promising treatments for inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Specifically, cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptors, which are upregulated during inflammation, have been distinctively linked to anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. HU308, a synthetic cannabinoid developed to activate CB2 receptors selectively, aims [...] Read more.
Cannabinoids are emerging as promising treatments for inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Specifically, cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptors, which are upregulated during inflammation, have been distinctively linked to anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. HU308, a synthetic cannabinoid developed to activate CB2 receptors selectively, aims to minimize unwanted off-target side effects. This study evaluated the effectiveness of both cannabidiol (CBD) and HU308 in mouse models of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis, which mimic the acute and chronic phases of ulcerative colitis. Mice were treated with DSS in drinking water (four percent for the acute model and one to two percent for the chronic model) to induce colitis, as indicated by increased disease activity index (DAI) scores and inflammatory markers. Treatment with 60 mg/kg of CBD, but not lower doses, significantly reduced colitis symptoms, such as inflammation, cytokine levels, and MPO activity, while also normalizing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels. HU308 showed comparable efficacy to high-dose CBD (60 mg/kg) but at a much lower dose (2.5 mg/kg), without observable toxicity. HU308 effectively normalized DAI scores, colon inflammation, ammonia levels, and GLP-1 expression in both colitis models. These results suggest that both CBD and HU308 are promising treatments for ulcerative colitis. However, HU308 demonstrates enhanced therapeutic potential by achieving similar outcomes at a fraction of the dose required for CBD, reducing the risk of off-target side effects. The ability of HU308 to modulate GLP-1, a biomarker of gut endocrine function, further underscores its promise as a novel treatment option. Full article
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