5-HTP induced diarrhea as a carcinoid syndrome model in mice?

Serotonin (5-HT) is present in the gastrointestinal tract and is probably one of the compounds responsible for diarrhea in patients presenting with carcinoid syndrome. Intraperitoneal administration of L-5-hydroxytryptophan (L-5-HTP) at doses of 25 to 100 mg/kg dramatically increase defecation in mice. In this new paradigm, counting fecal boli deposited is simple and the appraised or inhibition of diarrhea induced by ip 25 mg/kg of L-5-HTP is very clear, with a good reproducibility of scores. L-5-HTP needs to be metabolized into 5-HT to be active; benserazide, an inhibitor of decarboxylase, antagonized the diarrhea induced by 5-HT. Among the 5-HT antagonists used in interaction with 5-HT, only those of the 5-HT3 type (ondansetron, granisetron, tropisetron) and, to a lesser extent 5-HT2 type (ritanserin), decreased the diarrhea induced by 5 HTP. The 5-HT4 receptor agonists from the benzamide family (metoclopramide and zacopride) increased defecation in mice but the effect failed to reach statistical significance.