title: The L-Cell in Nutritional Sensing and the Regulation of Appetite.
abstract: The gastrointestinal (GI) tract senses the ingestion of food and responds by signaling to the brain to promote satiation and satiety. Representing an important part of the gut-brain axis, enteroendocrine L-cells secrete the anorectic peptide hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) in response to the ingestion of food. The release of GLP-1 has multiple effects, including the secretion of insulin from pancreatic β-cells, decreased gastric emptying, and increased satiation. PYY also slows GI motility and reduces food intake. At least part of the gut-brain response seems to be due to direct sensing of macronutrients by L-cells, by mechanisms including specific nutrient-sensing receptors. Such receptors may represent possible pathways to target to decrease appetite and increase energy expenditure. Designing drugs or functional foods to exploit the machinery of these nutrient-sensing mechanisms may offer a potential approach for agents to treat obesity and metabolic disease.
authors.affiliation: Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital , London , UK.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spreckley
authors.affiliation: Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital , London , UK.
authors.forename: Kevin Graeme
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Murphy
keywords: appetite; enteroendocrine; glucagon-like peptide-1; macronutrient; peptide YY