title: The emerging role of serotonin in liver regeneration.
abstract: Serotonin has a multifunctional role in many different organs serving either as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system or a paracrine factor in the gastrointestinal tract. Over 90% of serotonin is synthesised in the enterochromaffin cells of the intestine and subsequently taken up by platelets. The involvement of platelet-derived serotonin in liver mass restoration after partial hepatectomy or toxic injury has been greatly investigated during the last decade. There is a growing body of evidence implicating serotonin in hepatic regeneration through altered expression of serotonin receptor subtypes in the liver. This review article provides a brief overview on the current knowledge about the actions of serotonin in liver regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Medical School, Athens University, Athens, Greece. gkpapad@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: George K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Papadimas
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Tzirogiannis
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mykoniatis
authors.forename: Agni D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Grypioti
authors.forename: Georgia A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Manta
authors.forename: Georgios I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Panoutsopoulos
mesh_terms: D006498:Hepatectomy; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin