STEM CELL THERAPY??
#326303 - 03/08/08 12:12 PM
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TATERZ
Reged: 02/04/08
Posts: 14
Loc: MIAMI, FL, USA
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ok this may be a wacky question, and i may be an idiot but... could stem cell therapy hold the key to repairing the enteric nervous system which is thought to be damaged and thought to cause some functional gi motility disorders. i mean just a thought, i was just sitting there the other day and my mom said something about stem cells and then a wacky thought was created in my mind. but really i mean stem cells are cells that have the ability to renew themselves through a process called mitosis, they have been used in a number of studies and treatments for leukemia, other cancers, spinal cord injuries, down syndrome, diabetes, parkinson's, and even crohns. you may have heard of bone marrow transplants for leukemia, this is a form of stem cell therapy. neurotransmitters are sent from neuron to neuron, also known as nerve cells. Serotonin has been recently linked to ibs and functional motility disorders of the gut. serotonin is a neurotransmitter, and they have found theat 95% of the serotonin in our body is found in the gut. serotonin is also found in the brain (brain-gut dysfunction) and i know that if certain drugs are done like mdma (ecxtasy) it depletes the serotonin in the brain, and makes a person feel sad, depressed, and down. ironically ibs has also been linked to saddness or deppression. and i've heard that some post infectious, or pi-ibs can actually disappear after a few years of having it, which also could mean that the enteric nervous system (the brain in the gut) could heal over time. if we could repopulate or repair these nerves in the enteric nervous system could they then start secreting the normal amount of serotonin, and act as they would normally do. also, some scientists have recently thought that when a colonoscopy is done in people with ibs there is no structural abnormality and everything is normal, but if you take a biopsy of the intestines and look at it under a microsope you could find microscopic colitis, or a form of inflammation. they have already started to research stem cell therapy for crohn's,because resetting the immune system (an abnormal immune response is thought to contribute to the inflammation and symtoms of ibd, crohns and uc, or ulcerative colitis) and then repopulating cells in the body could eventually lead to a treatment or cure for crohns. so does any of this make any sense? or is it a stupid thought, any comment would be appreciated, whether positive, negative, or anything. afterall a comment is a comment. thanks for your time guys im new here, by the way, so hi all. 
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IBC-C SINCE FEB '07
"I'M GOING TO FIND THE CURE  "
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Good idea! Unfortunately, IBS is a syndrome with no know organic cause as of yet.
There are many theories as to what causes IBS. Some of them don't involve the nervous system directly some do. Some theories propose that colonic bacteria which embedded themselves in the intestinal mucosa may have been damaged by antibiotics or diseases resulting in the reduce production of fermentation by-products that effect the GI tract motility. For example, the production of methane gas is known to change the motility of the bowel. The more methane produced the slower the bowel moves and the more C an individual may experience. Or reduced populations of certain colonic bacteria can result in a loss of the ability to deal with bile salts. Some Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria bacteria are able to deconjugate and absorb bile acids, potentially reducing the colonic mucosal secretion of mucin and fluids that may contribute to IBS with diarrhea. You can read more about this in the reference below.
Stem cells can only work if you know which stem cells to use. Since IBS is still a big black hole it will probably be some time before anyone knows if stem cells are a possible way to manage IBS. It is possible that probiotics may show more promise than stem cells. We just have to wait and see 
Reference
Andresen, V. and D. C. Baumgart, 2006: Role of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: Potential mechanisms and current clinical evidence . International Journal of Probiotics and Prebiotics, 1, 11-18.
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The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
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The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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