Enhanced Contractive Tension and Upregulated Muscarinic Receptor 2/3 in Colorectum Contribute to Constipation in 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Parkinson's Disease Rats.

Constipation and defecatory dysfunctions are frequent symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The pathology of Lewy bodies in colonic and rectal cholinergic neurons suggests that cholinergic pathways are involved in colorectal dysmotility in PD. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear.

Activation of α7nAChR Protects Against Gastric Inflammation and Dysmotility in Parkinson's Disease Rats.

The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAIP) has been proposed to regulate gastrointestinal inflammation acetylcholine released from the vagus nerve activating α7 nicotinic receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages. Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and PD rats with substantia nigra (SN) lesions exhibit gastroparesis and a decayed vagal pathway. To investigate whether activating α7nAChR could ameliorate inflammation and gastric dysmotility in PD rats, ELISA, western blot analysis, and real-time PCR were used to detect gastric inflammation.

[Source, metabolism and function of dopamine in digestive tract].

Dopamine (DA), as a catecholamine neurotransmitter widely distributed in the central nervous system and the peripheral tissues, has attracted a lot of attention. Especially in recent years, DA has been found to regulate the function of the immune system, and the involvement of DA in the intestinal mucosal inflammation-related diseases has become a hot research topic. The digestive tract is an important source of peripheral DA, and DA is not only produced in the enteric nervous system and gastrointestinal epithelium, but also produced by intestinal microorganisms.

Dopamine promotes colonic mucus secretion through dopamine D receptor in rats.

Dopamine regulates gastrointestinal mucosal barrier. Mucus plays important roles in the protection of intestinal mucosa. Here, the regulatory effect of dopamine on rat colonic mucus secretion was investigated.

Effect of entacapone on colon motility and ion transport in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Aim: To study the effects of entacapone, a catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor, on colon motility and electrolyte transport in Parkinson's disease (PD) rats.

Methods: Distribution and expression of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting methods. The colonic smooth muscle motility was examined in vitro by means of a muscle motility recording device.