Student and Faculty Publications

Publication Date

11-1-2023

Journal

Virology Journal

Abstract

Gastrointestinal motility refers to the peristalsis and contractility of gastrointestinal muscles, including the force and frequency of gastrointestinal muscle contraction. Gastrointestinal motility maintains the normal digestive function of the human body and is a critical component of the physiological function of the digestive tract. At present, gastrointestinal motility disorder-related diseases are gradually affecting human production and life. In recent years, it has been consistently reported that the enteric nervous system has a coordinating and controlling role in gastrointestinal motility. Motility disorders are closely related to functional or anatomical changes in the gastrointestinal nervous system. At the same time, some viral infections, such as herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus infections, can cause damage to the gastrointestinal nervous system. Therefore, this paper describes the mechanisms of viral infection in the gastrointestinal nervous system and the associated clinical manifestations. Studies have indicated that the means by which viruses can cause the infection of the enteric nervous system are various, including retrograde transport, hematogenous transmission and centrifugal transmission from the central nervous system. When viruses infect the enteric nervous system, they can cause clinical symptoms, such as abdominal pain, abdominal distension, early satiation, belching, diarrhea, and constipation, by recruiting macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils and regulating intestinal microbes. The findings of several case‒control studies suggest that viruses are the cause of some gastrointestinal motility disorders. It is concluded that one of the causes of gastrointestinal motility disorders is viral infection of the enteric nervous system. In such disorders, the relationships between viruses and nerves remain to be studied more deeply. Further studies are necessary to evaluate whether prophylactic antiviral therapy is feasible in gastrointestinal motility disorders.

Keywords

Humans, Gastrointestinal Tract, Enteric Nervous System, Constipation, Herpes Zoster, Gastrointestinal Motility, Gastrointestinal Diseases, Viral infection, Enteric nervous system

Comments

PMID: 37915051

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.