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The gastrointestinal hormones (or gut hormones) constitute a group of hormones secreted by enteroendocrine cells in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine that control various functions of the digestive organs. Later studies showed that most of the gut peptides, such as secretin, cholecystokinin or substance P, were found to play a role of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Enteroendocrine cells do not form endocrine glands but are spread throughout the digestive tract. They exert their autocrine and paracrine actions that integrate all of gastrointestinal function.
The gastrointestinal hormones can be divided into three main groups based upon their chemical structure.
- Gastrin-cholecystokinin family: gastrin and cholecystokinin
- Secretin family: secretin, glucagon, vasoactive intestinal peptide and gastric inhibitory peptide
- Peptide family: somatostatin, motilin and substance P.
There is some disagreement over what is considered a gastrointestinal hormone. For example, MeSH doesn't include somatostatin or substance P in that category, though it does include them in several other categories.[1]
New gastrointestinal hormones are still being discovered.
See also
References
External links
- Overview of Gastrointestinal Hormones - Colorado State University website
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 28 September 2008, at 20:58.
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