Abstract
Proper functioning of the digestive system is ensured by coordinated action of the central and peripheral nervous systems (PNS). Peripheral innervation of the digestive system can be viewed as intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic portion is mainly composed of the neurons and glia of the enteric nervous system (ENS), while the extrinsic part is formed by sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sensory branches of the PNS. Glial cells are a crucial component of digestive tract innervation, and a great deal of research evidence highlights the important status of ENS glia in health and disease. In this review, we shift the focus a bit and discuss the functions of Schwann cells (SCs), the glial cells of the extrinsic innervation of the digestive system. For more context, we also provide information on the basic findings regarding the function of innervation in disorders of the digestive organs. We find diverse SC roles described particularly in the mouth, the pancreas, and the intestine. We note that most of the scientific evidence concerns the involvement of SCs in cancer progression and pain, but some research identifies stem cell functions and potential for regenerative medicine.
Highlights
The chief functions of our digestive system are to break down food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste products
The functions of extrinsic innervation are in many ways similar to those of enteric nervous system (ENS), especially in the upper gastrointestinal tract and the accessory organs of the digestive system, but they help integrate ENS with the central nervous system (CNS) [6]
Glial cells are a crucial component of innervation and in recent years much evidence has been accumulated on the important status of ENS glia in the digestive system [7]
Summary
The chief functions of our digestive system are to break down food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste products. The formation of the sacral autonomic outflow, which is generally considoutflow and instead cluster with sympathetic spinal neurons This shows how studies of the origins and fit molecular identity of PNS neuronsofcan the established model to ered parasympathetic, does not this model, since neurons thechallenge pelvic ganglia can form open a discussion on whether the anatomical classification should be revised [14–16]. SCs generally act in a paracrine way to modify the immune microenvironment, promote tumorigenesis, and participate in the process of nerve invasion by tumour cells (perineural invasion (PNI) [56,57] These exciting findings regarding extrinsic innervation prompted us to provide a comprehensive overview of known SC functions in the digestive system
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