Enterochromaffin cell
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Enterochromaffin (EC) cells (Kulchitsky cells) are a type of enteroendocrine cell[1] occurring in the epithelia lining the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract.
Function
They produce and contain about 90% of the body's store of serotonin (5-HT).
In the gastrointestinal tract, 5-HT is important in response to chemical, mechanical or pathological stimuli in the lumen. It activates both secretory and peristaltic reflexes, and activates vagal afferents (via 5-HT3 receptors) that signal to the brain (important in the generation of nausea).
Ondansetron is an antagonist of the 5-HT3 receptor and is an effective anti-emetic.
Etymology
They are called "entero"[1] meaning related to the gut and "chromaffin" because of a chromium salt reaction that they share with chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla (adrenal glands). [1]
"Enterochromaffin-like cells"
Another population of chromaffin cells is found only in the stomach wall, called enterochromaffin-like cells (ECL). They look like EC cells but do not contain 5-HT.
ECL cells respond to acetylcholine released by the vagus nerve and they in turn release histamine, which will stimulate the parietal cells to produce gastric acid.
Pathophysiology
Kulchitsky cells, or neuroendocrine cells, have been implicated in the origin of small cell lung cancer. [1]
See also
References
Digestive system, physiology: gastrointestinal physiology | |
|---|---|
| Enteric nervous system | Meissner's plexus - Auerbach's plexus |
| Exocrine | Chief cells (Pepsinogen) - Parietal cells (Gastric acid, Intrinsic factor) - Goblet cells (Mucus) |
| Endocrine/paracrine | G cells (gastrin), D cells (somatostatin) - ECL cells (Histamine) - enterogastrone: I cells (CCK), K cells (GIP), S cells (secretin) |
| Border | Brunner's glands - Paneth cells - Enterocytes |
| Fluids | Saliva - Bile - Intestinal juice - Gastric juice - Pancreatic juice |
| Processes | Swallowing - Vomiting - Peristalsis (Interstitial cell of Cajal) - Migrating motor complex - Borborygmus - Gastrocolic reflex - Segmentation contractions - Defecation |
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Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
