抄録
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetate, propionate and butyrate, are the major anions in the large intestinal lumen, and are known to have a variety of physiological and pathophysiological effects on the intestine. This study examined the distribution of SCFA receptors, GPR41 and GPR43, by RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry in rat intestine, including duodenum, jejunum, terminal ileum, cecum, proximal colon, and distal colon. Protein and mRNA expressions of GPR41 and GPR43 were analyzed by dividing into mucosa and submucosa-muscle layers in addition to whole wall. Moreover we investigated the contractile effects of SCFAs on rat intestinal smooth muscle preparations with mucosa in vitro. As a result, GPR43 was expressed in mucosa of distal intestine, especially terminal ileum and distal colon. In the physiological experiments, propionate and butylate induced both phasic contractions and tonic contractions respectively, moreover propionate increased the frequency of spontaneous contractions in circular muscle of distal colon. [J Physiol Sci. 2007;57 Suppl:S230]
