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Scientists Identify Potential Hormone Peptide YY That Might Aid In Treating Congenital Malabsorption

Jan, 2021 - By WMR

According to a new study by the researchers of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have reported to found that one hormone known as peptide YY, also called PYY have  exhibited potential to reverse a congenital disorder in babies where babies fail to absorb nutrients and require intravenous feeding for survival.

Moreover, researchers also informed that in the research they observed PYY to reverse congenital malabsorption in mice and a single PYY injection each day aided 80% mice to survive, which further indicates PYY to be potential therapeutic for people with severe malabsorption. Researchers further noted that poor absorption of macronutrients is a health concern, across the globe which can further result in malnutrition, short-gut syndrome, and intestinal infections

McCauley was lead author, stated, “Babies born without enteroendocrine cells—or whose enteroendocrine cells don't function properly—have severe malabsorption and require IV nutrition. This study allowed us to understand how important this one rare cell type is in controlling how the intestine absorbs nutrients and functions on a daily basis. The Cincinnati Children's study, is the first to describe a mechanism linking enteroendocrine cells to the absorption of macronutrients like carbohydrates and amino acids.”

In this study, researchers relied on lab generated human intestinal organoid models. Organoids can be defined as small formations of human organ that have similar architecture and functions to their full-size counterparts and are grown from stem cells.

In addition, researchers informed that in the current study on malabsorption they utilized three different human small intestinal tissue models derived from pluripotent stem cells, which can further form any kind of tissue in the body.