Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Hormones and the gastrointestinal tract 

Hormones and the gastrointestinal tract
Chapter:
Hormones and the gastrointestinal tract
Author(s):

Rebecca Scott

, T.M. Tan

, and S.R. Bloom

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780198746690.003.0296
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 05 March 2021

The gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ in the body, with its component cells dispersed along its length rather than being clustered in glands. More than 20 gut peptides integrate gastrointestinal function by regulating the actions of the epithelium, muscles, and nerves; they also affect the growth and development of the gut and have a major role in appetite control. They mostly work in an autocrine or paracrine manner.

Gastrointestinal hormones include the gastrin–cholecystokinin family, the secretin superfamily, preproglucagon derivatives, the motilin–ghrelin family, the pancreatic polypeptide-fold family, and various other gut peptides. Gastrointestinal and other diseases may cause abnormalities of these gut peptides, for example: (1) achlorhydria (from atrophic gastritis or drug-induced) causes elevation of circulating gastrin; (2) malabsorptive conditions are associated with a decrease in the amount of peptides produced in the affected region, and a compensatory elevation of other peptides; and (3) obesity is associated with orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) and less satiating hormonal changes, and the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery are partly explained through alterations in gut hormones.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.