Immunohistochemical distribution of vanilloid receptor, calcitonin-gene related peptide and substance P in gastrointestinal mucosa of patients with different gastrointestinal disorders.

The immunohistochemical distribution of capsaicin/vanilloid (transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, TRPV1) receptors and neuropeptides (CGRP, SP) was studied in the gastrointestinal mucosal biopsies of patients with gastritis, erosions, ulcers, polyps, adenocarcinoma, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, polyps without and with hyperplasia, dysplasia and adenocarcinoma in colon. The studies were carried out in 127 patients and 30 people with only functional dyspepsia (without any histological alteration). The results were: (1) the positivity of TRPV1 receptor and CGRP was detected, and weak participation of SP was detected in patients with different gastric diseases; (2) the presence of TRPV1, CGRP and SP could be detected in chronic inflammation of bowel disease; (3) SP could not detected in patients with colon polyps, dysplasia and adenocarcinoma; (4) the presence of TRPV1 and CGRP was proved in colon dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. We conclude that (1) the immunohistochemical distribution of TRPV1, CGRP and SP differs in gastrointestinal diseases of the upper and lower tract, and (2) the participation of TRPV1, CGRP and SP differs significantly in these different gastrointestinal diseases.