Research carried out by Irish and US scientists could lead to the development of new medication for the treatment of diarrhoea.

Every year in Ireland, around 40,000 visits to gastroenterology clinics are due to diarrhoea. While epidemics of acute infectious diarrhoea are common, many illnesses can also cause it, including irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.

Aside from the health issues involved, these conditions cost society a lot financially in terms of healthcare and lost hours at work.

However, scientists from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Trinity College Dublin and John Hopkins University in Maryland have discovered a new route for the development of drugs that treat diarrhoea.

This new route directly targets the relevant cells and molecular processes that control the movement of water into the intestine. This may help with the development of a new class of anti-diarrhoeal drugs.

The researchers found that drugs which act on a protein known as FXR (Farnesoid X Receptor) in the tissue of the intestine are capable of stopping water from moving into the gut. By switching off this movement of water into the gut, diarrhoea can be prevented.

"Diarrhoeal diseases are common and debilitating, but safe and effective drugs for their treatment are still lacking. Our research has found that FXR is an important regulator of intestinal function and has excellent potential for the development of a new class of anti-diarrhoeal drugs," commented lead researcher, Dr Stephen Keely, of the RCSI.

The researchers also noted that drugs which target FXR may produce fewer side-effects than many of the anti-diarrhoeal drugs currently available.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Gut.

For more information on diarrhoea and other digestive disorders, see our Digestive Disorders Clinic here