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Quercetin demonstrates analgesic effect in post-inflammatory irritable bowel syndrome

04/21/2020 // Evangelyn Rodriguez // Views

Tags: alternative medicine, digestion, digestive health, goodhealth, goodmedicine, goodscience, IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, natural cures, natural medicine, natural painkiller, pain relief, phytonutrients, quercetin, research

Researchers from China and Hong Kong studied the effects of quercetin on visceral pain and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) availability in post-inflammatory irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) rats. Their findings were published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

• Intestinal enterochromaffin (EC) cell hyperplasia and 5-HT availability play key roles in the pathogenesis of abdominal hypersensitivity caused by IBS.
• For their experiment, the researchers administered 5, 10 and 20?mg/kg quercetin by gavage to PI-IBS rats for 14 days.
• They reported that, compared with that of normal rats, the visceral pain threshold of PI-IBS rats was markedly decreased while their abdominal motor response to colon distension was markedly increased.
• EC cell count, as well as 5-HT and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) protein levels were all significantly elevated in PI-IBS rats, while 5-HT reuptake transporter (serotonin transporter) levels were reduced.
• The genes responsible for enteroendocrine cell differentiation (Ngn3 and pdx1) were also significantly increased.
• Quercetin treatment markedly elevated the pain threshold pressure of PI-IBS rats and decreased visceral motor response.
• It also reduced EC cell density, 5-HT levels and the expression of TPH.
• In addition, quercetin significantly reduced colonic expression of Ngn3 and pdx1.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that quercetin has analgesic effects that can help with PI-IBS management. These effects are due to its ability to reduce 5-HT availability in the colon and regulate endocrine progenitors to reduce the number of EC cells.

Journal Reference:

Qin HY, Zang KH, Zuo X, Wu XA, Bian ZX. QUERCETIN ATTENUATES VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE AVAILABILITY IN POSTINFLAMMATORY IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME RATS: ROLE OF ENTEROCHROMAFFIN CELLS IN THE COLON. Journal of Medicinal Food. 10 July 2019;22(7):663–671. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2018.4264

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