[Polyamines in the gastrointestinal tract].
Polyamines are extremely important for cell growth, a fact that is reflected in the strict control of their synthesis and breakdown. In the small intestine, the polyamines play a fundamental role in all processes involving tissue regeneration, such as healing of stress-related ulcers, post-hepatectomy hepatic regeneration, adaptation syndrome after fasting and all processes with enterocyte hyperplasia or hypertrophy. In the gastrointestinal tract, there is a polyamine gradient in the villi-crypt cell axis and along the digestive tube, itself; the segments with greatest luminal content are the jejunum and the colon. Endogenous polyamine synthesis is stimulated by the diet and normal bacterial flora, which, in turn, regulate the amount and concentration of polyamines. Other hormonal and active peptide components (e.g. gastrin, epidermal growth factor, growth hormone) also have an influence on the pathway of polyamine synthesis. The interaction of these factors as related to the intestinal adaptive response is reviewed.
Farriol
M
M
Centro de Investigaciones Bioquímicas y Biología Molecular (CIBBIM), Hospital Vall d'Hebrón, Barcelona, España. farriol@hg.vhebron.es
Segovia-Silvestre
T
T
Venereo
Y
Y
Orta
X
X
D000818:Animals; D015317:Biogenic Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D004064:Digestive System / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004764:Enterohepatic Circulation; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
D015317:Biogenic Polyamines