Infectious diarrhoea and gastrointestinal hormones: potential therapeutic implications.

The gastrointestinal hormones, which are continuously increasing in number, have certain effects which could play a part in the pathogenesis of infectious diarrhoea. This refers especially to VIP, motilin, and enteroglucagon, the plasma concentrations of which are elevated in acute infectious diarrhoea, cholera, and tropical malabsorption. They may act by stimulating intestinal secretion, inhibiting absorption, and altering intestinal motility. In addition, there are some hormonal effects such as those caused by glucagon on motility, by enkephalins on secretion, and by somatostatin on both, which have a therapeutic potential and deserve further investigation.