The bile acid receptor, TGR5, regulates basal and cholinergic-induced secretory responses in rat colon.

Bile acids (BA) are becoming increasingly appreciated as enteric hormones that regulate many aspects of intestinal physiology. The BA receptor, TGR5, has been recently shown to be expressed on enteric nerves and enterochromaffin cells (ECs), where its activation regulates small intestinal and colonic motility. Here, we show that TGR5 is also expressed on colonic epithelial cells and that its activation decreases basal secretory tone and inhibits cholinergic-induced secretory responses. Our data demonstrate a new role for TGR5 in regulating colonic fluid and electrolyte transport and suggest that the receptor represents a good therapeutic target for intestinal transport disorders.