Centrally acting agents and visceral sensitivity.
The evidence relating to the site and mechanism of action of "centrally acting" agents which may affect visceral sensitivity is reviewed. Antidepressant drugs such as amitriptyline as well as the newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are thought to act at the level of the CNS. Opiates, including morphine as well as compounds such as trimebutine or fedotozine designed for therapeutic use in irritable bowel syndrome, are effective in reducing visceral nociception. Cytokines in the CNS are known to be involved in the modulation of pain and there is also evidence to suggest that centrally acting cytokines may play a role in the production of visceral hypersensitivity. Consequently, they may provide an interesting target for future research.
Fioramonti
J
J
NeuroGastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, BP 3, 31931 Toulouse, France. jfioramo@toulouse.inra.fr
Bueno
L
L
D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects*; D012677:Sensation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017833:Visceral Afferents / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D009294:Narcotics; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors