COMMENTARY

5-HT₃

5-HT₃ receptor antagonists ameliorate fatigue: so much potential, so little knowledge!

N M Barnes

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr N M Barnes
Cellular and Molecular Neuropharmacology Research Group, Department of Pharmacology, Division of Neuroscience, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; n.m.barnes@bham.ac.uk

---

There is growing evidence that 5-HT₃ receptor blockade will benefit patients with fatigue. Further research is needed to determine the mechanism underlying this widespread clinically important symptom and therapies may be derived from targeting the 5-HT system

---

Keywords: 5-HT3 receptor; fatigue; hepatitis C; ondansetron

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Despite a high prevalence with massive socioeconomic implications, fatigue per se, or as a symptom of a diagnosed condition, remains poorly understood. Much of the evidence available arises from measurement of biochemicals or proteins; alterations in which may be primary or secondary to the symptom, or indeed associated with another aspect of an underlying disease. However, an increasing body of evidence implicates an altered central 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine; serotonin) system. Although apparent inconsistencies are evident (for example, see Hartz and colleagues¹), elevated 5-HT neurotransmission appears most likely.^2–5 Numerous distinct receptors have evolved to transduce 5-HT signalling. The majority of these receptors (at least 13) are G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) but, unusual for monoamine neurotransmitters, an additional receptor, the 5-HT₃ receptor, is a member of the cys-cys loop ligand gated ion channel superfamily; other members being the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, the GABA_A receptor, and the glycine receptor.⁶ The 5-HT₃ . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Effect of ondansetron, a 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist, on fatigue in chronic hepatitis C: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study

T Piche, G Vanbiervliet, F Cherikh, Z Antoun, P M Huet, E Gelsi, J-F Demarquay, F-X Caroli-Bosc, S Benzaken, M-C Rigault, C Renou, P Rampal, and A Tran
Gut 2005 54: 1169-1173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]