New Delhi, December 12 (IANS). A research has revealed that the development of antidepressant drugs targeting intestinal cells can open new avenues in the treatment of mental problems like depression and anxiety.
The use of these gut-targeted drugs can reduce cognitive, gastrointestinal and digestive tract-related and behavioral side effects in patients and their children.
“Antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft, which increase serotonin levels and help many patients, can sometimes cause side effects that patients can’t tolerate,” said Mark Ensorg, MD, associate professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University Vagelos. ”
Ensorg said that the study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology shows that if these medicines work only on intestinal cells, many problems can be avoided.
Apart from this, the team said that it can also help pregnant women. This will not affect his child either.
Antidepressants, used for more than 30 years as first-line pharmacologic treatment for depression and anxiety, that increase serotonin, cross the placenta, and reduce mood, cognitive, and gastrointestinal-related problems in later childhood. Known for.
Serotonin-boosting antidepressants have been known as first-line pharmacologic treatments for anxiety and depression for more than 30 years.
On the other hand, if depression is not treated timely during pregnancy, it can pose a risk to the unborn child, Ensorg said.
“Remarkably, serotonin is also produced outside the brain, primarily in intestinal cells,” the team said. In fact, 90 percent of our body’s serotonin is in the gut.”
This research raises the possibility that increased serotonin signaling in the gut may influence gut-brain communication and ultimately mood.
They found that increasing serotonin in the intestines reduced anxiety and depressive behavior in rats.
“These results suggest that serotonin signaling acts directly in the gut to produce therapeutic effects,” Ensorge said.
–IANS
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