Commentary Cellscience Reviews Vol 5 No 1 ISSN 1742-8130

The Intestine-Brain-Liver Axis: a hormonal and neural circuitry for nutrient sensing and glucose metabolism

Hyperphagia and hyperglycemia are two critical characteristics for obesity and diabetes, two disorders that have reached epidemic proportions. In addition to satiety signals and incretins released from intestine, a previously defined hormonal circuitry, recent findings by Wang et al.,. demonstrate a neural circuitry among intestine, liver and brain to regulate glucose homeostasis. Whether the hormonal circuitry and the neural circuitry between the brain and peripheral tissues (such as liver and gastrointestinal tract) are independent of each other or there is a cross-talk between these two circuitries is unknown. The brain, liver, and intestine are lipid-sensing organs that regulate the body's metabolic processes. Although they share similar molecular mechanisms, brain/intestine lipid-sensing appeals to have opposing physiological mechanisms comparing to liver lipid-sensing. It is possible that the imbalance of the lipid-sensing mechanisms in the intestine-brain-liver axis contributes to obesity-associated type 2 diabetes. In addition, dysfunction of the ability of the brain to integrate hormonal and neural signals may underlie the etiology of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

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