Intracellular vomit signals and cascades downstream of emetic receptors: Evidence from the least shrew (Cryptotis parva) model of vomiting.

Nausea and vomiting are often considered as stressful symptoms of many diseases and drugs. In fact they are the most feared and debilitating side-effects of many cancer chemotherapeutics and the main cause of patient noncompliance. Despite years of substantial research, the intracellular emetic signals are at best poorly understood or remain unknown. Among different receptor-mediated emetic signaling cascades, one potential converging signal appears to be changes in the cytosolic concentration of Ca2+. In this editorial, we focus on Ca2+-related intracellular signals underlying emesis mediated by various emetogens. This strategy will help us understand common signaling mechanisms downstream of diverse emetogens and should therefore promote development of new antiemetics for the treatment nausea and vomiting caused by diverse diseases, drugs, as well as viruses and bacterial infections.