Cureus. 2023 Jul 27;15(7):e42532. doi: 10.7759/cureus.42532.eCollection 2023 Jul.

Usama Osman ¹, Abishek Latha Kumar ², Aishwarya Sadagopan ¹, Anas Mahmoud ¹, Maha Begg ¹, Mawada Tarhuni ¹, Monique N Fotso ³, Natalie A Gonzalez ⁴, Raghavendra R Sanivarapu ⁵

Author information

¹Internal Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

²Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

³Obstetrics and Gynecology, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

⁴Pediatrics, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

⁵Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gut-brain disorder involving alterations in intestinal sensitivity and motility. Currently, IBS has no cure, and treatment focuses on the management of symptoms. The diverse, and sometimes contradictory, collections of symptoms reported across the different subtypes of IBS make treatment, as well as diagnosis, difficult for physicians. All subtypes of IBS have one symptom in common: abdominal pain caused by differences in the level of visceral sensitivity. Though current research on this topic is in its infancy, some researchers have proven, through experimental studies, that 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) receptor type 7 (5-HT7) affects both visceral sensitivity and smooth muscle tone in the bowel. Therefore, this review will be discussing the future possibility of alleviating abdominal pain in patients with IBS and related disorders by modulating the 5-HT7 receptor.