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Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Stress-Induced Intestina Damage
Abstract
Stress has been shown to have both central and peripheral effects, promoting psychological illness (such as anxiety and depression), as well influencing peripheral disease in the intestine. Stress in humans can exacerbate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), lowering visceral pain thresholds and decreasing mucosal barrier function. Studies in rodents have revealed that both acute and chronic exposure to stressors can lead to pathophysiology of the small and large intestine, including altered ion secretion and increased epithelial permeability (by both transcellular and paracellular pathways). Prolonged exposure to stress can induce low-grade inflammation, cause ultrastructural epithelial abnormalities, and alter bacterial-host interactions allowing greater microbial translocation. In this review, we discuss the stress response and the effects of both acute and chronic stress to induce pathophysiological damage to the gut. We present the potential pathways involved, and the proposed mechanisms of action mediating the effects. Furthermore, we explore the impact of early life stress on colonic physiology in neonatal rodents and the implications for gut dysfunction in adulthood.
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“Alterations in gut barrier integrity enable bacteria (and microbial-products) to translocate across the mucosa and epithelium, interfacing with immune and neuronal cells (356, 357).”
From Signalling cognition: The gut microbiota and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (2023) · cites this paper as [356]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Gareau, M., Silva, M., & Perdue, M.
- Affiliations
- McMaster University (CA)
- ORCID
- Silva, Manuel
- Venue
- Current Molecular Medicine
- Publisher
- Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
- Published
- 2008-06-01
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 274-281
- ISSN
- 1566-5240 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2144967252
- Cited by
- 268
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 15.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Molecular Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Keywords
- psychological stress, intestinal injury, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, visceral pain, mucosal barrier function, epithelial permeability, ion secretion, low-grade inflammation, epithelial ultrastructure, gut microbiota, microbial translocation, early life stress, colonic physiology, stress response
- MeSH terms
- Acute Disease, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Chronic Disease, Disease Models, Animal, Humans, Intestinal Mucosa, Intestine, Large, Intestine, Small, Maternal Deprivation, Permeability, Rodentia, Stress, Physiological, Stress, Psychological, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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