A research group at Nagoya University School of Medicine has clarified a new mechanism by which emotional stress causes irritable bowel syndrome by analyzing experimental animal models.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease in which stress is the main cause and abnormal bowel movements such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation persist.It is especially common among young people, and it is known that in addition to drugs that control the function of the intestinal tract, it is important to provide psychological support and treatment to reduce stress and to prepare the intestinal environment. ..
This time, the group analyzed a mouse-restrained stress model as an animal model to clarify the question, "How does stress promote irritable bowel syndrome?"Although stress increased oxidative stress in the intestinal tract and caused chronic inflammation, we discovered for the first time in the world a new mechanism in which activation of the renin-angiotensin system, which is a hormone system involved in blood pressure increase, is involved.Furthermore, angiotensin receptor antagonists have been shown to suppress the adverse effects of this stress and improve chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.
From this study, it is expected that the renin-angiotensin system of the intestinal tract will be attracting attention as a new therapeutic target for irritable bowel syndrome that acts on the cerebrointestinal link.
