# Is there an experimental basis for development of ischaemic colitis from 5-HT3?



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

Viewpoint:Is there an experimental basis for the development of ischaemic colitis as a result of 5-HT3 antagonist treatment?M. CamilleriClinical Enteric Neuroscience Translational and Epidemiological Research (CENTER) Group, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rohcester, MN, USANeurogastroenterology & Motily (February 2007) Volume 19 Number 2, 77-84Conclusion:In the absence of an animal model that shows that 5-HT3 antagonists (namely Lotronex and Cilansetron) cause ischemic colitis or a convincing rationale to propose a mechanism underlying ischaemic colitis on experimental findings, one may propose the alternative hypothesis that there is no causative relationship between the 5-HT3 antagonist drug class and ischaemic colitis: "If the glove does not fit, you should acquit". There is a medical need to clear the dark cloud that hangs over serotonergic agents and to facilitate clinical research without the shackles that any such agents has to withstand in the path towards regulatory approval and use in the clinic. On the other hand, the studies available do not permit a clear understanding whether there is or is not a relationship between 5-HT3 antagonists and ischaemic colitis.It is one's earnest hope that this treatise will spur investigators to explore these principals to prove or disprove the relationship between 5-HT3 antagonist drug class and ischaemic colitis. As Sir Isaac Newton once wrote when told of an experiment that appeared to contradict his theory, "It may be so; there is no arguing against facts and experiments".2006 The Mayo Foundation2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.


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