The roles of purinergic signaling during gastrointestinal inflammation

Extracellular purines play important roles as neurotransmitters and paracrine mediators in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Inflammation of the GI tract causes marked changes in the release and extracellular catabolism of purines, and can modulate purinoceptor expression and/or signaling. The functional consequences of this include suppression of the purinergic component of inhibitory neuromuscular and neurovascular transmission, increased release of purines from immune and epithelial cells, loss of enteric neurons to damage through P2X(7) purinoceptors, and enhanced activation of pain fibres. The purinergic system represents an important target for drug therapies that may improve GI inflammation and its consequences.