Grubišić Vladimir, Gulbransen Brian D
Neuroscience Program, Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
J Physiol. 2017 Jan 15;595(2):557-570. doi: 10.1113/JP271021. Epub 2016 May 29.
Glia (from Greek γλοία meaning 'glue') pertains to non-neuronal cells in the central (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) that nourish neurons and maintain homeostasis. In addition, glia are now increasingly appreciated as active regulators of numerous physiological processes initially considered exclusively under neuronal regulation. For instance, enteric glia, a collection of glial cells residing within the walls of the intestinal tract, regulate intestinal motility, a well-characterized reflex controlled by enteric neurons. Enteric glia also interact with various non-neuronal cell types in the gut wall such as enterocytes, enteroendocrine and immune cells and are therefore emerging as important local regulators of diverse gut functions. The intricate molecular mechanisms that govern glia-mediated regulation are beginning to be discovered, but much remains unknown about the functions of enteric glia in health and disease. Here we present a current view of the enteric glia and their regulatory roles in gastrointestinal (GI) (patho)physiology; from GI motility and epithelial barrier function to enteric neuroinflammation.
神经胶质细胞（源自希腊语γλοία，意为“胶水”）是指中枢神经系统（CNS）和外周神经系统（PNS）中的非神经元细胞，它们滋养神经元并维持体内平衡。此外，神经胶质细胞如今越来越被视为众多生理过程的积极调节因子，而这些过程最初被认为完全受神经元调节。例如，肠神经胶质细胞是存在于肠道壁内的一群胶质细胞，它们调节肠道蠕动，这是一种由肠神经元控制的特征明确的反射。肠神经胶质细胞还与肠壁中的各种非神经元细胞类型相互作用，如肠上皮细胞、肠内分泌细胞和免疫细胞，因此正成为多种肠道功能的重要局部调节因子。控制神经胶质细胞介导调节的复杂分子机制正开始被发现，但关于肠神经胶质细胞在健康和疾病中的功能仍有许多未知之处。在这里，我们阐述了肠神经胶质细胞及其在胃肠（GI）（病理）生理学中的调节作用的当前观点；从胃肠动力和上皮屏障功能到肠神经炎症。
