Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 24, Issue 18, 2018

Background: Physical activity can be involved in the prevention of gastrointestinal (GI)-tract diseases, however, the results regarding the volume and the intensity of exercise considered as beneficial for protection of gastrointestinal organs are conflicting. Aims and Methods: The main objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive and updated overview on the beneficial and harmful effects of physical activity on Read More

The number of people who are overweight and obese are continuously increasing both in the adult and adolescent populations. Coinciding with this is the increased prevalence of health problems such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Bariatric surgery is the only proven long-term treatment of obesity and may induce remission of T2D, although the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The translational studies presented here might pr Read More

Gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal integrity is based on the balance of aggressive and protective mechanisms. Mucosal damage may occur when the injurious factors become dominant or the mucosal defensive processes are impaired. The main target of the therapy against GI mucosal injury is the reduction of aggressive factors, however, the therapeutic possibilities for stimulation of mucosal defensive processes are rather limi Read More

Cancer cachexia, one of the metabolic syndromes caused by cancer, is a devastating and miserable condition encountered in more than 50% of terminal cancer patients presenting with significant weight loss associated with skeletal muscle atrophy and fat loss. Though cachexia may account for up to 20% of cancer deaths, no significant treatment is still lacking and is of urgent unmet medical need in cancer treatment. Theref Read More

4-MP is a potent competitive inhibitor of ADH activity with an affinity about a 1000 times more than toxic alcohols. 4-MP was shown to reduce the formation of toxic metabolites in lethal methanol and ethylene glycol poisoning in animal models and in methanol poisoning in humans. 4-MP has long-lasting gastroprotective effect against ethanol and other chemically induced acute gastric mucosa lesions in rats. We showed, for t Read More

Background: Vagal nerve plays an important role in the stomach function. The cholinergic nerves are the most abundantly distributed nerves in the gastric tissue. It has recently been reported that the vagal nerve is significantly related to both gastric cancer development and progression. However, its relation to the mesenchymal tumor, including MALT lymphoma, is not known. In this study, we investigated the effect of unil Read More

The wound healing and the barrier restoration of the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa must be continuously ensured to allow homeostasis of the gastrointestinal tract and of all the surrounding tissues. Several lines of the evidence report a key role of innate immunity, and in particular of Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), in controlling the homeostasis of GI tract by sensing commensal and pathogen bacteria, activatin Read More

Commonly, the angiogenic growth factors signify healing. However, gastrointestinal ulceration is still poorly understood particularly with respect to a general pharmacological/pathophysiological role of various angiogenic growth factors implemented in growth factors wound healing concept. Thereby, we focused on the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, a peptide given always alone vs. standard peptidergic angiogenic Read More

Years ago, we revealed a novel cytoprotective mediator, stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, particular anti-ulcer peptide that heals different organs lesions when given as a therapy, native in human gastric juice while maintaining GI-tract mucosal integrity, already tested in trials (ulcerative colitis and now multiple sclerosis). The stomach cytoprotection is the most fundamental concept, stomach cell protection and Read More

Endogenous prostaglandins (PGs), produced from arachidonic acid by the two isoforms of cyclooxygenase (COX), play a pivotal role in maintaining mucosal integrity by modulating various functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and PGE2 is most effective in these actions. The PGE2 receptor is classified into 4 specific G-protein coupled subtypes, EP1-EP4, and their distribution accounts for the multiple effects of this prostanoid Read More

The pancreas, the salivary glands and the dental enamel producing ameloblasts have marked developmental, structural and functional similarities. One of the most striking similarities is their bicarbonate-rich secretory product, serving acid neutralization. An important difference between them is that while pancreatic juice and saliva are delivered into a lumen where they can be collected and analyzed, ameloblasts produce locall Read More

The human gastrointestinal tract is exposed to a variety of toxic agents, such as Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori), Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), gastric acid, enteric pathogenic bacteria, excessive auto immune reactions, and chronic mental stresses. These stressors generate free radicals within the gastrointestinal tissues, causing chronic inflammatory diseases, ulcers, cancers, and functional disturbances. Rec Read More

The risk of developing Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) was shown to be associated with genetic inheritance, lifestyle and social status of the patients. Unhealthy lifestyle habits and failure in coping with stress have been closely associated with the occurrence of PUD. In contrary, limiting the use of analgesic drugs and glucocorticoids, controlling environmental and socioeconomic factors that predispose to H. Pylori infection, having a Read More