Glicentin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1) are gut hormones released during digestion. Glicentin and GLP-1 slow down gastric emptying and glicentin can switch off the duodenojejunal fed motor pattern. The effect of glicentin on the motor activity of colon has never been reported in humans. Our aim was to determine if circular smooth muscle cells (SMC) from the human colon are target cells for glicentin or GLP-1, and if their motility is dependent upon these digestive hormones.
Methods: Twenty-two resections were performed on patients operated for colon adenocarcinoma. The SMC were isolated from colonic circular muscle layer and cell contraction was assessed.
Results: Glicentin caused a dose-related contraction of SMC, when GLP-1 determined a contraction of weak amplitude. Exendin-(9-39), described as a GLP-1 receptor antagonist, inhibited contraction due to glicentin or GLP-1. In contrast, on antral SMC from rabbit, GLP-1 exerts neither relaxation nor contraction; however, exendin-(9-39) dose dependently reduced the contractile activity of glicentin [glicentin EC(50) = 5 pM, exendin-(9-39) pA(2) = -9.36].
Conclusions: The circular muscle from the human colon is a target tissue for glicentin and GLP-1. Whereas glicentin is a long-life digestive hormone which would contribute to segmental contraction, the biological activity of GLP-1 remains unknown on this tissue. On the digestive smooth muscle, exendin-(9-39) behaved as an antagonist for two members of the glucagon-receptor family, GLP-1 and glicentin.