In 1929 Drury and Szent-Györgyi published a seminal paper describing the potent actions of
adenine compounds. Some decades later, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) was proposed …

The gut contains a large 5-HT pool in enterochromaffin (EC) cells and a smaller 5-HT pool in
the enteric nervous system (ENS). During development, enteric neurons are generated …

The past half century has witnessed tremendous advances in our understanding of
extracellular purinergic signaling pathways. Purinergic neurotransmission, in particular, has …

Peripheral inhibitory nerves are physiological regulators of the contractile behavior of
visceral smooth muscles. One of the transmitters responsible for inhibitory …

In the first 20 years that followed the purinergic signalling hypothesis in 1972, most scientists
were sceptical about its validity, largely because ATP was so well established as an …

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been recently proposed as a transmitter in the brain and
peripheral tissues. Its role in the gastrointestinal tract is still unknown despite some data …

Indirect evidence suggests that ATP is a neurotransmitter involved in inhibitory pathways in
the neuromuscular junction in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to …

Key points• Normal colonic motility is regulated by excitatory and inhibitory motor neurons,
and previous studies have shown that both components of neural regulation are important …

BACKGROUND & AIMS: An important component of enteric inhibitory neurotransmission is
mediated by a purine neurotransmitter, such as adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), binding …

Key points• Normal gastrointestinal activity depends upon orderly movement of nutrients and
wastes through the alimentary canal. These movements require coordinated contractions of …