title: Targeting Ion Channels: An Important Therapeutic Implication in Gastrointestinal Dysmotility in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury.
abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility is a severe, and common complication in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Current therapeutic methods using acetylcholine analogs or laxative agents have unwanted side effects, besides often fail to have desired effect. Various ion channels such as ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel, calcium ions (Ca(2+))-activated potassium ions (K(+)) channels, voltage-sensitive Ca(2+) channels and chloride ion (Cl(-)) channels are abundantly expressed in GI tissues, and play an important role in regulating GI motility. The release of neurotransmitters from the enteric nerve terminal, innervating GI interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), and smooth muscle cells (SMC), causes inactivation of K(+) and Cl(-) channels, increasing Ca(2+) influx into cytoplasm, resulting in membrane depolarization and smooth muscle contraction. Thus, agents directly regulating ion channels activity either in ICC or in SMC may affect GI peristalsis and would be potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GI dysmotility with SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.|National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of SCI, James J Peters Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radulovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.|National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of SCI, James J Peters Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Korsten
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gong
keywords: Dysmotility; Gastrointestinal; Interstitial cells of Cajal; Ion channels; Myocytes; smooth muscle