Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 May;52(5):663-70.
doi: 10.1136/gut.52.5.663.

Increased platelet depleted plasma 5-hydroxytryptamine concentration following meal ingestion in symptomatic female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome

L A Houghton  1 , W Atkinson, R P Whitaker, P J Whorwell, M J Rimmer
Affiliations

Increased platelet depleted plasma 5-hydroxytryptamine concentration following meal ingestion in symptomatic female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome

L A Houghton et al. Gut. 2003 May.

Abstract

Background: Meal ingestion is often associated with exacerbation of gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Furthermore, recent preliminary data suggest that 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentration in platelet poor plasma is elevated following meal ingestion in some subjects with diarrhoea predominant IBS (d-IBS) compared with healthy subjects, although it is not known whether this is related to postprandial symptomatology.

Aim: To expand on previous data by evaluating a larger number of subjects but also to assess plasma 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations, 5-HT turnover, platelet 5-HT stores, and any relationship to symptomatology.

Methods: We assessed platelet depleted plasma 5-HT and 5-HIAA concentrations for two hours (60 minute intervals) under fasting conditions, and then for a further four hours (30 minute intervals) after a standard carbohydrate meal (457 kcal), together with fasting platelet 5-HT concentrations in 39 female subjects with d-IBS (aged 19-52 years; mean age 33) and 20 healthy female volunteers (aged 20-46 years, mean age 28). IBS symptomatology, in particular abdominal pain and bloating, and urgency to defecate were assessed throughout the study

Results: When related to fasting levels, there was no statistically significant difference in postprandial plasma 5-HT concentrations between d-IBS and healthy subjects. However, when fasting levels were not taken into consideration, d-IBS subjects exhibited higher postprandial plasma 5-HT concentrations compared with healthy subjects (p=0.040). Furthermore, d-IBS subjects who exhibited postprandial symptomatology had higher levels of postprandial plasma 5-HT, whether assessed with respect to fasting baseline levels (p=0.069) or not (p=0.047), compared with d-IBS subjects who did not report postprandial symptomatology. This appeared to be associated with a concomitant increase in plasma 5-HIAA (p=0.161) but reduction in turnover (p=0.058). Lastly, d-IBS subjects had higher platelet concentrations of 5-HT than healthy subjects (p=0.009).

Conclusions: These data suggest that postprandial symptomatology may be associated with increased platelet depleted plasma 5-HT concentrations in female subjects with d-IBS. In addition, the presence of increased platelet stores of 5-HT may act as a useful marker for the diagnosis and management of d-IBS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Profile of overall symptom score with respect to meal ingestion (t=0) in female diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS) subjects with (+) and without (−) postprandial symptoms, and in healthy female subjects. Data are means and 95% confidence interval.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Profiles of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations and turnover with respect to meal ingestion (t=0) in female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS) and healthy female subjects. Data are geometric means and 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Individual plots of values for fasting concentrations of platelet depleted plasma 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS), and healthy subjects.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Individual plots of values for area under the postprandial 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentration/time curve (not referenced to fasting levels) in female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS) with (+) and without (−) postprandial symptoms and in healthy subjects.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Profiles of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations and turnover with respect to meal ingestion (t=0) in female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS) with (+) and without (−) postprandial symptoms. Data are geometric means and 95% confidence interval.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Profiles of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations and turnover with respect to meal ingestion (t=0) in female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS) with (+) and without (−) worsening of postprandial symptomatology. Data are geometric means and 95% confidence interval.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Individual plots of values for platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentration in female subjects with diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS) and healthy subjects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Ragnarsson G, Bodemar G. Pain is temporally related to eating but not to defaecation in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients’ description of diarrhoea, constipation and symptom variation during a prospective 6 week study. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 1998;10:415–21. - PubMed
    1. Simren M, Mansson A, Langkilde AM, et al. Food-related gastrointestinal symptoms in the irritable bowel syndrome. Digestion 2001;63:108–15. - PubMed
    1. Narducci F, Bassotti G, Granata MT, et al. Colonic motility and gastric emptying in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Dig Dis Sci 1986;31:241–6. - PubMed
    1. Rogers J, Henry MM, Misiewicz JJ. Increased segmental activity and intraluminal pressure in the sigmoid colon of patients with the irritable bowel syndrome. Gut 1989;30:634–41. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sullivan MA, Cohen S, Snape WJ. Colonic myoelectrical activity in irritable bowel syndrome. N Engl J Med 1987;298:878–83. - PubMed

Publication types