LOCAL SECRETION OF CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE BY ENTEROCHROMAFFIN CELLS IN HUMAN COLON

Background/Aims: Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and a coordinator of the gastrointestinal response to stress. In addition to its central effects, CRH has peripheral effects on the immune system. CRH is present in several human tissues, such as the brain, spinal cord, adrenal medulla, lung, liver, peripheral blood leukocytes, as well as the gastrointestinal tract. The current study examined the local production of CRH in the normal human colon. Methods: Normal human colonic tissues obtained by endoscopic biopsy were immunostained with anti-CRH and anti-5-hydroxytryptamine antibody and analyzed for CRH messenger (m)RNA by a reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction method and by in situ hybridization. Results: Immunoreactive CRH and CRH mRNA were detected in the colonic mucosal cells in the neighborhood of the base of the crypts. The mucosal cells that expressed CRH mRNA also immunostained with anti-5-hydroxytryptamine antibody. Conclusions: Normal human colonic mucosal enterochromaffin cells produce CRH. CRH in the colonic mucosa may play a role in the modulation of the intestinal immune system and/or other gastrointestinal functions basally during stressful conditions.