Neuropeptides in gut-brain axis and their influence on host ...

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Abstract

In recent decades, neuropeptides have been found to play a major role in communication along the gut-brain axis. Various neuropeptides are expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems, where they facilitate the crosstalk between the nervous systems and other major body systems. In addition to being critical to communication from the brain in the nervous systems, neuropeptides actively regulate immune functions in the gut in both direct and indirect ways, allowing for communication between the immune and nervous systems. In this mini review, we discuss the role of several neuropeptides, including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and phoenixin (PNX), in the gut-brain axis and summarize their functions in immunity and stress. We choose these neuropeptides to highlight the diversity of peptide communication in the gut-brain axis.

Abbreviations

NPY

neuropeptide Y

SP

substance P

α-MSH

α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone

VIP

vasoactive intestinal peptide

LPS

lipopolysaccharides

TRPV1

transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1

CGRP

calcitonin gene-related peptide

CNS

central nervous system

CRLR

calcitonin receptor like receptor

RAMP1

receptor activity-modifying protein1

PACAP

pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide

CRH

corticotropin-releasing hormone

ACTH

adrenocorticotrophic hormone

HPA axis

hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis

PNX

phoenixin

Keywords

Neuropeptide

Gut-brain axis

Immunity

Antimicrobial peptides

Stress

Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis

© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Research Network of Computational and Structural Biotechnology.