Volume 23, Issue 4 e13404
ETIOLOGY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

High-fat diets on the enteric nervous system: Possible interactions and mechanisms underlying dysmotility

Patricia Pereira Almeida

Corresponding Author

Patricia Pereira Almeida

Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

Correspondence

Patricia Pereira Almeida, Experimental Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Fluminense Federal University, Rua Mário Santos Braga 30, Niterói, RJ 24020-140, Brazil.

Email: [email protected]

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Luisa Valdetaro

Luisa Valdetaro

Postgraduate Program in Neurosciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

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Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi

Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi

Postgraduate Program in Neurosciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

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Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto

Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto

Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

Postgraduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

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Ana Lúcia Tavares-Gomes

Ana Lúcia Tavares-Gomes

Postgraduate Program in Neurosciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

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First published: 06 December 2021
Citations: 7

Patricia Pereira Almeida, Luisa Valdetaro and Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi contributed equally to this study.

Funding information: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES); State of Rio de Janeiro Carlos Chagas Filho Research Foundation (FAPERJ), Grant/Award Number: E-26/203.269/2017

Summary

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects various physiological systems. Among them, the gastrointestinal tract appears to be a main target of this disease. High-fat diet (HFD) animal models can help recapitulate the classic signs of obesity and present a series of gastrointestinal alterations, mainly dysmotility. Because intestinal motility is governed by the enteric nervous system (ENS), enteric neurons, and glial cells have been studied in HFD models. Given the importance of the ENS in general gut physiology, this review aims to discuss the relationship between HFD-induced neuroplasticity and gut dysmotility observed in experimental models. Furthermore, we highlight components of the gut environment that might influence enteric neuroplasticity, including gut microbiota, enteric glio-epithelial unit, serotonin release, immune cells, and disturbances such as inflammation and oxidative stress.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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