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Review
. 2023 Apr 26;14(1):105.
doi: 10.1186/s13287-023-03336-1.

Effects of hormones on intestinal stem cells

Li Liu #  1 , Lilong Zhang #  1 , Chunlei Li  1 , Zhendong Qiu  1 , Tianrui Kuang  1 , Zhongkai Wu  1 , Wenhong Deng  2
Affiliations
Review

Effects of hormones on intestinal stem cells

Li Liu et al. Stem Cell Res Ther. .

Abstract

The maintenance of intestinal renewal and repair mainly depends on intestinal stem cells (ISCs), which can also contribute to the growth of intestinal tumours. Hormones, which are vital signalling agents in the body, have various effects on the growth and replacement of intestinal stem cells. This review summarises recent progress in the identification of hormones associated with intestinal stem cells. Several hormones, including thyroid hormone, glucagon-like peptide-2, androgens, insulin, leptin, growth hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone and progastrin, promote the development of intestinal stem cells. However, somatostatin and melatonin are two hormones that prevent the proliferation of intestinal stem cells. Therefore, new therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of intestinal illnesses can be identified by examining the impact of hormones on intestinal stem cells.

Keywords: Hormones; Intestinal stem cells; Stem cell; Therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diagram illustrating the arrangement of intestinal stem cells and the crypt–villus axis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A molecular model of the action of thyroid hormone (TH) on the intestinal stem cell pathway was proposed. In intestinal stem cells, TH enters the nucleus and binds to TR to directly regulate the expression of HAS, HAL2, Mettl1, Mtfp1, DotiL and CLU genes. In addition, TH regulates the expression of multiple targets involved in the Wnt, Notch and hedgehog pathways. In the Wnt signalling pathway, the binding of TH to TR positively regulates the expression of Ctnnb1 and sFRP2 genes. In turn, Ctnnb1 and sFRP2 proteins allow β-catenin translocation to the nucleus by interacting with Wnt/β-catenin, where β-catenin forms a complex with transcription factors TCF/LEF, leading to increased expression of Wnt target genes, such as Cell cycle proteins D1/D2, Deiodinase 3 and c-Myc. In hedgehog signalling pathways, TH can act directly on Shh and promote enhanced transcription and expression of BMP4 and Foxl1
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Functions of different hormones on intestinal stem cells and related mechanisms. On the left side of the diagram are two hormones capable of inhibiting the proliferation of intestinal stem cells. On the right side of the diagram are eight hormones that promote the proliferation of intestinal stem cells
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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