[Vomiting]

Abstract

Vomiting, the culminating sign of nausea, is primarily a protective reflex occurring in a wide variety of vertebrates. Even tough nausea and vomiting are among the most basic neural reflexes, they remain poorly understood. Poorly understood are the pathogenetic mechanisms from the anatomic receptor and neuroendocrine point of view. This is the reason why drugs are useful in some types of vomiting but not in others. The aim of this paper is to summarize current knowledge about anatomy of vomiting reflex, neurotransmitter receptor subtypes, agonists and antagonists of serotonin and substance P. Particularly in the treatment of post-chemotherapy and postoperative vomiting. It is pointed out that nausea an vomiting may be field of neurochemical and neuropharmacological research. Finally, in clinical research drugs for vomiting therapy may be useful in other pathologies (migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma).