Intestinal Serotonin Release, Sensory Neuron Activation, and Abdominal Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

In patients with IBS, 5-HT spontaneous release was significantly increased irrespective of bowel habit and correlated with mast cell counts and the severity of abdominal pain. Our results suggest that increased 5-HT release contributes to development of abdominal pain in IBS, probably through mucosal immune activation.