The DOI matches its Crossref record; 110 of the 112 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Understanding the Biology of Human Interstitial Cells of Cajal in Gastrointestinal Motility
Open accessAbstract
Millions of patients worldwide suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders such as gastroparesis. These disorders typically include debilitating symptoms, such as chronic nausea and vomiting. As no cures are currently available, clinical care is limited to symptom management, while the underlying causes of impaired GI motility remain unaddressed. The efficient movement of contents through the GI tract is facilitated by peristalsis. These rhythmic slow waves of GI muscle contraction are mediated by several cell types, including smooth muscle cells, enteric neurons, telocytes, and specialised gut pacemaker cells called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). As ICC dysfunction or loss has been implicated in several GI motility disorders, ICC represent a potentially valuable therapeutic target. Due to their availability, murine ICC have been extensively studied at the molecular level using both normal and diseased GI tissue. In contrast, relatively little is known about the biology of human ICC or their involvement in GI disease pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate human gastric tissue as a source of primary human cells with ICC phenotype. Further characterisation of these cells will provide new insights into human GI biology, with the potential for developing novel therapies to address the fundamental causes of GI dysmotility.
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“These cells act as gastrointestinal pacemakers, coordinating the rhythmic contractions necessary for the transit of gastric contents [50, 51].”
From Diabetic gastroparesis: pathophysiology and impact on insulin timing choices (2026) · cites this paper as [50]
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“The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are gastrointestinal pacemaker cells that cause the gastrointestinal motility ([7]), therefore their reduction or disappearance can lead to impaired gastrointestinal motility.”
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Metadata
- Authors
- Foong, D., Zhou, J., Zarrouk, A., Ho, V., & O’Connor, M. D.
- Affiliations
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Campbelltown Private Hospital, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
- Corresponding author
- O’Connor, Michael D.
- Venue
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2020-06-25
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 4540
- ISSN
- 1422-0067 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7352366
- OpenAlex
- W3037610538
- Cited by
- 127
- References
- 112
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 2.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- University of Western Sydney (N/A)
- Australian Rotary Health (N/A)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Congenital gastrointestinal and neural anomalies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal Tumor Research and Treatment
- Keywords
- interstitial cells of Cajal, gastrointestinal motility, gastroparesis, peristalsis, slow waves, gastric smooth muscle, primary human cells, gastrointestinal motility disorders, therapeutic target
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Diseases, Gastrointestinal Motility, Humans, Intestine, Small, Peristalsis, Stomach, Myocytes, Smooth Muscle, Gastrointestinal Tract, Interstitial Cells of Cajal
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