Role of Serotonin in the Immune System and in Neuroimmune Interactions

@article{citeulike:2805288, abstract = {Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the most extensively studied neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. 5-HT is, however, also present in a variety of peripheral tissues including in constituents of the immune system. The function of 5-HT in the immune system has received increasing attention since about 1984, but has been reviewed only once, in 1985. In recent years, modern techniques of molecular biology such as reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and targeted gene disruption have made it possible to study new important aspects of 5-HT in the immune system. In the first part of the review, we explore whether 5-HT is involved in interactions between the central nervous and immune systems. It emerges that 5-HT may mediate interactions of these two systems by four different pathways. In the second part, we dissect the functional roles of 5-HT in the immune system. We describe the distribution of 5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter on immune cells and estimate which levels 5-HT may attain in the extracellular space in physiological conditions and under pathological circumstances such as inflammation, thrombosis, and ischemia. At these 5-HT concentrations, four major functions for 5-HT emerge. These include T cell and natural killer cell activation, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, production of chemotactic factors, and natural immunity delivered by macrophages. Finally, we discuss promising future avenues to further advance knowledge of the role of 5-HT in the immune system and in neuroimmune interactions.}, author = {M\"{o}ssner, Rainald and Lesch, Klaus-Peter }, citeulike-article-id = {2805288}, doi = {10.1006/brbi.1998.0532}, journal = {Brain, Behavior, and Immunity}, keywords = {immunology, neuroendocrinology, serotonin}, month = {December}, number = {4}, pages = {249--271}, posted-at = {2008-05-16 14:39:08}, priority = {0}, title = {Role of Serotonin in the Immune System and in Neuroimmune Interactions}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/brbi.1998.0532}, volume = {12}, year = {1998} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2805288 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2805288 TI - Role of Serotonin in the Immune System and in Neuroimmune Interactions JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 249 EP - 271 N2 - Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the most extensively studied neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. 5-HT is, however, also present in a variety of peripheral tissues including in constituents of the immune system. The function of 5-HT in the immune system has received increasing attention since about 1984, but has been reviewed only once, in 1985. In recent years, modern techniques of molecular biology such as reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and targeted gene disruption have made it possible to study new important aspects of 5-HT in the immune system. In the first part of the review, we explore whether 5-HT is involved in interactions between the central nervous and immune systems. It emerges that 5-HT may mediate interactions of these two systems by four different pathways. In the second part, we dissect the functional roles of 5-HT in the immune system. We describe the distribution of 5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter on immune cells and estimate which levels 5-HT may attain in the extracellular space in physiological conditions and under pathological circumstances such as inflammation, thrombosis, and ischemia. At these 5-HT concentrations, four major functions for 5-HT emerge. These include T cell and natural killer cell activation, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, production of chemotactic factors, and natural immunity delivered by macrophages. Finally, we discuss promising future avenues to further advance knowledge of the role of 5-HT in the immune system and in neuroimmune interactions. KW - immunology KW - neuroendocrinology KW - serotonin AU - Mössner, Rainald AU - Lesch, Klaus-Peter PY - 1998/12// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/brbi.1998.0532 ER -