A gut-brain axis mediates sodium appetite via gastrointestinal peptide regulation on a medulla-hypothalamic circuit

• Published in: Science advances Vol. 9; no. 7; p. eadd5330
• Main Authors: Liu, Yuchu, Wei, Ji-An, Luo, Zhihua, Cui, Jing, Luo, Yifan, Mak, Sarah Oi Kwan, Wang, Siqi, Zhang, Fengwei, Yang, Yan, So, Kwok-Fai, Shi, Lingling, Zhang, Li, Chow, Billy Kwok Chong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 15-02-2023
• Subjects: Appetite - physiology; Appetite Regulation - physiology; Brain-Gut Axis; Hypothalamus; Neuroscience; Physiology; SciAdv r-articles; Secretin; Sodium; Sodium, Dietary
• ISSN: 2375-2548; 2375-2548
• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add5330

Salt homeostasis is orchestrated by both neural circuits and peripheral endocrine factors. The colon is one of the primary sites for electrolyte absorption, while its potential role in modulating sodium intake remains unclear. Here, we revealed that a gastrointestinal hormone, secretin, is released from colon endocrine cells under body sodium deficiency and is indispensable for inducing salt appetite. As the neural substrate, circulating secretin activates specific receptors in the nucleus of the solitary tracts, which further activates the downstream paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, resulting in enhanced sodium intake. These results demonstrated a previously unrecognized gut-brain pathway for the timely regulation of sodium homeostasis.