Neural coordination of intestinal motility and mucosal secretion of water and salt - role in toxin induced diarrhoea

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/400053

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

This project deals with some of the basic mechanisms underlying disorders of gastrointestinal function and in particular with the mechanisms responsible for diarrhoea. Whenever there is a natural disaster (the recent tsunami for example) or a war, the breakdown of medical services leads to concern about outbreaks of cholera and other diarrhoea causing diseases, so understanding the mechanisms by which the cholera bacterium cause diarrhoea remains a major imperative. It is known that the diarrhoea resulting from cholera infection is produced by an enterotoxin, which acts to produce a massive over-secretion of water and salt through the intestinal wall, which if it is not controlled causes death by dehydration. This effect requires the activity of the nerve cells within the gut wall, the enteric nervous system (ENS). Other bacterial toxins have similar effects and also require activity of the ENS for these effects to be manifested. This project will identify how these toxins alter the activity of the ENS and the effects that they have on intestinal movements which are also regulated by the ENS. We already know that the movements and secretion of water are related to each other and that this relationship is disturbed in some more subtle diseases like irritable bowel syndrome. This project will characterise this relationship, thereby shedding light on the physiology underlying a variety of gastrointestinal disorders.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2006

End Date: 01-01-2008

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $490,020.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Autonomic Nervous System

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

cholera | diarrhoea | enteric nervous system | enterotoxins | inflammatory bowel disease | intestinal motility | irritable bowel syndrome | mucosal secretion | traveller's diarrhoea

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