Alterations in serotonin metabolism in the irritable bowel syndrome.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther
; 43(2): 272-82, 2016 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26538292
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Alterations in serotonin (5-HT) metabolism have been postulated to play a role in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, previous reports regarding 5-HT metabolism in IBS are contradicting.AIM:
To compare platelet poor plasma (PPP) 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) levels and their ratio in a large cohort of IBS patients and healthy controls (HC), including IBS-subgroup analysis.METHODS:
Irritable bowel syndrome patients and HC were evaluated for fasting PPP 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels. Furthermore, GI-symptom diary, GSRS, quality of life, anxiety and depression scores were assessed in the 2 weeks before blood sampling.RESULTS:
One hundred and fifty four IBS patients and 137 HC were included. No differences were detected in plasma 5-HT between groups. The 5-HIAA concentrations and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio were significantly lower in IBS compared to HC 24.6 ± 21.9 vs. 39.0 ± 29.5 µg/L (P < 0.001) and 8.4 ± 12.2 vs. 13.5 ± 16.6 (P < 0.01), respectively. Subtype analysis for 5-HIAA showed all IBS subtypes to be significantly different from HC. The 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio was significantly lower in the IBS-M subtype vs. HC. Linear regression analysis points to an influence of gender but not of GI-symptoms, psychological scores or medication use.CONCLUSIONS:
We demonstrated that fasting 5-HT plasma levels are not significantly different in IBS patients compared to controls. However, decreased 5-HIAA levels and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio in IBS patients may reflect altered serotonin metabolism in IBS. Gender affects 5-HIAA levels in IBS patients, but no effects of drugs, such as SSRIs, or higher GI-symptom or psychological scores were found.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Quality of Life
/
Serotonin
/
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
/
Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid
Aspects:
Patient_preference
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Aliment Pharmacol Ther
Year:
2016
Document type:
Article