Anxiety, Depression, and the Microbiome: A Role for Gut Peptides.

Pancreatic polypeptide: more than just another gut hormone?

The role of gastrointestinal hormones in the regulation of appetite is reviewed. The gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ in the body. Gut hormones function to optimize the process of digestion and absorption of nutrients by the gut. In this capacity, their local effects on gastrointestinal motility and secretion have been well characterized. By altering the rate at which nutrients are delivered to compartments of the alimentary canal, the control of food intake arguably constitutes another point at which intervention may promote efficient digestion and nutrient uptake. In recent decades, gut hormones have come to occupy a central place in the complex neuroendocrine interactions that underlie the regulation of energy balance. Many gut peptides have been shown to influence energy intake. The most well studied in this regard are cholecystokinin (CCK), pancreatic polypeptide, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), oxyntomodulin and ghrelin. With the exception of ghrelin, these hormones act to increase satiety and decrease food intake. The mechanisms by which gut hormones modify feeding are the subject of ongoing investigation. Local effects such as the inhibition of gastric emptying might contribute to the decrease in energy intake. Activation of mechanoreceptors as a result of gastric distension may inhibit further food intake via neural reflex arcs. Circulating gut hormones have also been shown to act directly on neurons in hypothalamic and brainstem centres of appetite control. The median eminence and area postrema are characterized by a deficiency of the blood-brain barrier. Some investigators argue that this renders neighbouring structures, such as the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and the nucleus of the tractus solitarius in the brainstem, susceptible to influence by circulating factors. Extensive reciprocal connections exist between these areas and the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and other energy-regulating centres of the central nervous system. In this way, hormonal signals from the gut may be translated into the subjective sensation of satiety. Moreover, the importance of the brain-gut axis in the control of food intake is reflected in the dual role exhibited by many gut peptides as both hormones and neurotransmitters. Peptides such as CCK and GLP-1 are expressed in neurons projecting both into and out of areas of the central nervous system critical to energy balance. The global increase in the incidence of obesity and the associated burden of morbidity has imparted greater urgency to understanding the processes of appetite control. Appetite regulation offers an integrated model of a brain-gut axis comprising both endocrine and neurological systems. As physiological mediators of satiety, gut hormones offer an attractive therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity.

The 2 gut hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) are well known to be coexpressed, costored, and released together to coact in the control of key metabolic target organs. However, recently, it became clear that several other gut hormones can be coexpressed in the intestinal-specific lineage of enteroendocrine cells. Here, we focus on the anatomical and functional consequences of the coexpression of neurotensin with GLP-1 and PYY in the distal small intestine. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, laser capture, and triple staining demonstrated that GLP-1 cells in the crypts become increasingly multihormonal, ie, coexpressing PYY and neurotensin as they move up the villus. Proglucagon promoter and pertussis toxin receptor-driven cell ablation and reappearance studies indicated that although all the cells die, the GLP-1 cells reappear more quickly than PYY- and neurotensin-positive cells. High-resolution confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that neurotensin is stored in secretory granules distinct from GLP-1 and PYY storing granules. Nevertheless, the 3 peptides were cosecreted from both perfused small intestines and colonic crypt cultures in response to a series of metabolite, neuropeptide, and hormonal stimuli. Importantly, neurotensin acts synergistically, ie, more than additively together with GLP-1 and PYY to decrease palatable food intake and inhibit gastric emptying, but affects glucose homeostasis in a more complex manner. Thus, neurotensin is a major gut hormone deeply integrated with GLP-1 and PYY, which should be taken into account when exploiting the enteroendocrine regulation of metabolism pharmacologically.

Effect of circulating peptide YY on gallbladder motility in response to feeding in humans

Comment on: Effect of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass versus laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on fasting gastrointestinal and pancreatic peptide hormones: A prospective nonrandomized trial

BackgroundAppetite and gastrointestinal hormones (GIHs) participate in energy homeostasis, feeding behavior and regulation of body weight. We demonstrated previously the superior effect of a hypocaloric diet regimen with lower meal frequency (B2) on body weight, hepatic fat content, insulin sensitivity and feelings of hunger compared to the same diet divided into six smaller meals a day (A6). Studies with isoenergetic diet regimens indicate that lower meal frequency should also have an effect on fasting and postprandial responses of GIHs. The aim of this secondary analysis was to explore the effect of two hypocaloric diet regimens on fasting levels of appetite and GIHs and on their postprandial responses after a standard meal. It was hypothesized that lower meal frequency in a reduced-energy regimen leading to greater body weight reduction and reduced hunger would be associated with decreased plasma concentrations of GIHs: gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1), peptide YY(PYY), pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and leptin and increased plasma concentration of ghrelin. The postprandial response of satiety hormones (GLP-1, PYY and PP) and postprandial suppression of ghrelin will be improved.MethodsIn a randomized crossover study, 54 patients suffering from type 2 diabetes (T2D) underwent both regimens. The concentrations of GLP-1, GIP, PP, PYY, amylin, leptin and ghrelin were determined using multiplex immunoanalyses.ResultsFasting leptin and GIP decreased in response to both regimens with no difference between the treatments (p = 0.37 and p = 0.83, respectively). Fasting ghrelin decreased in A6 and increased in B2 (with difference between regimens p = 0.023). Fasting PP increased in B2with no significant difference between regimens (p = 0.17). Neither GLP-1 nor PYY did change in either regimen. The decrease in body weight correlated negatively with changes in fasting ghrelin (r = -0.4, p<0.043) and the postprandial reduction of ghrelin correlated positively with its fasting level (r = 0.9, p<0.001). The postprandial responses of GIHs and appetite hormones were similar after both diet regimens.ConclusionsBoth hypocaloric diet regimens reduced fasting leptin and GIP and postprandial response of GIP comparably. The postprandial responses of GIHs and appetite hormones were similar after both diet regimens. Eating only breakfast and lunch increased fasting plasma ghrelin more than the same caloric restriction split into six meals. The changes in fasting ghrelin correlated negatively with the decrease in body weight. These results suggest that for type 2 diabetic patients on a hypocaloric diet, eating larger breakfast and lunch may be more efficient than six smaller meals during the day.

Far from being a passive reservoir for digestion and absorption of food, the gastrointestinal tract is a dynamic participant in the regulation of appetite and energy homeostasis. During meals, distension of the stomach and delivery of the products of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein digestion to the small intestine act synergistically to limit food intake. Satiation is induced by the activation of vagal afferent nerves terminals in gastric and intestinal walls, and the secretion of peptide hormones such as cholecystokinin, leptin, glucagon-like peptide-1, oxyntomodulin, and peptide YY from specialized mucosal cells in the stomach and small intestine. These gut peptides exert their effects by endocrine and paracrine actions, the latter via vagal afferents. The vagus interacts with the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system to coordinate satiation signaling. In addition to inhibiting appetite centers in the hypothalamus and brainstem, gut hormones prolong the exposure of the gastrointestinal tract to nutrients by slowing gastric emptying and intestinal transit. The mechanisms by which nutrients stimulate the release of gut hormones are now known to include activation of mucosal “taste” receptors and G-protein coupled receptors in the small intestine by carbohydrates, proteins, and fatty acids. Pharmacological agonists and antagonists of gut peptides are potentially useful for the management of obesity, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal motility disorders, and cachexia of critical illness.

The WHO has declared that obesity is one of the top five risk conditions in the world. Body adiposity occurs as a consequence of an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. The hypothalamus integrates complex neural and humoral signals that coordinate the initiation and termination of feeding and regulates energy expenditure. In the last decade there has been considerable interest in the role of gut hormones in governing hunger and satiety signals in the brain. Ghrelin, a small peptide synthesized in the stomach, stimulates food intake while peptide YY (PYY), oxyntomodulin (OXM), glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CCK) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) inhibit appetite To date, pharmacological approaches used to alter gut hormones administration may provide physiological and therapeutic solutions for appetite control and long-term anti-obesity therapy. Here we review the recent advances in this field. Keywords: Gut peptides, PYY, Oxyntomodulin, GLP-1, Ghrelin, obesity

these proportions had increased to 26% and 22%, respectively, with 55% of women and 66% of men being overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m 2 ; Health Survey for England, 2001), reflecting a worldwide trend which is most marked in, but not restricted to, the developed world. Most of us in affluent countries live in a privileged land of plenty where high calorie foods are easily available and in which we have a limited need for exercise. The rising prevalence of obesity in children is of particular concern (Chinn & Rona, 2001).

Appetite signaling: From gut peptides and enteric nerves to brain

WOODS, STEPHEN C. Dietary synergies in appetite control: distal gastrointestinal tract.

To study the effect of bariatric surgery on the entero-hypothalamic endocrine axis of humans and rodents. Bariatric surgery is the most effective obesity treatment as it achieves substantial and sustained weight loss. Glycemic control and enhanced satiation improve before substantial weight loss occurs. Gut peptides, acting both peripherally and centrally, contribute to glycemic control and regulate food intake. We examined meal-stimulated responses of insulin, ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) in humans and rodents following different bariatric surgical techniques. Compared with lean and obese controls, patients following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) had increased postprandial plasma PYY and GLP-1 favoring enhanced satiety. Furthermore, RYGB patients had early and exaggerated insulin responses, potentially mediating improved glycemic control. None of these effects were observed in patients losing equivalent weight through gastric banding. Leptin, ghrelin, and PP were similar in both the surgical groups. Using a rodent model of jejuno-intestinal bypass (JIB), we showed elevated PYY and GLP-1 in JIB rats compared with sham-operated rats. Moreover, exogenous PYY reduced food intake and blockade of endogenous PYY increased food intake. Thus, higher plasma PYY following JIB may contribute to reduced food intake and contribute to weight loss. Following RYGB and JIB, a pleiotropic endocrine response may contribute to the improved glycemic control, appetite reduction, and long-term changes in body weight.

Intestinal Cholecystokinin Controls Glucose Production through a Neuronal Network

Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Modulates Enteric Neuronal Survival and Proliferation Through Neuropeptide Y

The effects of gastric bypass surgery on the secretion of the anorexigenic gut-derived hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), independent of caloric restriction and due to different dietary macronutrients, is not well characterized. This study examines the effects of a mixed-nutrient or high-fat liquid meal on the postprandial stimulation of GLP-1 and PYY following gastric bypass or equivalent hypocaloric diet. Total PYY and active GLP-1 were measured fasting and at multiple points after standardized mixed-nutrient and high-fat liquid meals in two matched groups of obese subjects. The meal stimulation tests were performed before and 14.6 ± 3.3 days after gastric bypass (GBP, n = 10) and before and after a 7-day hypocaloric liquid diet matching the post-GBP diet (control, n = 10). Mixed-nutrient and high-fat postprandial GLP-1 levels increased following GBP (mixed-nutrient peak: 85.0 ± 28.6-323 ± 51 pg/ml, P < 0.01; high-fat peak: 81.8 ± 9.6-278 ± 49 pg/ml, P < 0.01), but not after diet (mixed-nutrient peak: 104.4 ± 9.4-114.9 ± 15.8 pg/ml, P = NS; high-fat peak: 118.1 ± 16.4-104.4 ± 10.8 pg/ml, P = NS). The postprandial PYY response also increased after GBP but not diet, though the increase in peak PYY did not reach statistical significance (GBP mixed-nutrient peak: 134.8 ± 26.0-220.7 ± 52.9 pg/ml, P = 0.09; GBP high-fat peak: 142.1 ± 34.6-197.9 ± 12.7 pg/ml, P = 0.07; diet mixed-nutrient peak: 99.8 ± 8.0-101.1 ± 13.3 pg/ml, P = NS; diet high-fat peak: 105.0 ± 8.8-103.1 ± 11.8 pg/ml, P = NS). The postprandial GLP-1 response was not affected by the macronutrient content of the meal. However, following GBP the mixed-nutrient PYY total area under the curve (AUC(0-120)) was significantly greater than the high-fat PYY AUC(0-120) (22,081 ± 5,662 pg/ml min vs. 18,711 ± 1,811 pg/ml min, P = 0.04). Following GBP there is an increase in the postprandial stimulation of PYY and GLP-1 that is independent of caloric restriction. The phenomenon of "bariatric surgery-induced anorexia" may be linked to the increased levels after GBP.