Letters To The Editor
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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2009; 15(9): 1147-1147
Published online Mar 7, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.1147
Lubiprostone: Clinical applications beyond constipation
Shailendra Kapoor
Shailendra Kapoor, Kristin 24, Schaumburg, IL 60195, United States
Author contributions: Kapoor S contributed all to this work.
Correspondence to: Shailendra Kapoor, MD, Kristin 24, Schaumburg, IL 60195, United States. shailendrakapoor@yahoo.com
Telephone: +1-847-8866789
Fax: +1-847-8979878
Received: October 24, 2008
Revised: November 28, 2008
Accepted: December 5, 2008
Published online: March 7, 2009
Abstract

In comparison to polyethylene glycol, lubiprostone offers other advantages and is increasingly being used as an adjunctive agent in diagnostic as well as management strategies not only in gastroenterology, but in other fields. For instance, lubiprostone exerts beneficial effects in cystic fibrosis tissues. It augmernts the chloride secretion in these cells by activating non-cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) secretion of chloride by afflicted respiratory epithelia. Lubiprostone also seems to improve visualization of the gastrointestinal tract during procedures such as colonoscopy. This is especially true if the lubiprostone is administered prior to bowel cleansing with agents such as polyethylene glycol electrolyte (PEG-E). Lubiprostone also enhances and stimulates contraction in colonic as well as gastric muscles and may thus further contribute as a prokinetic agent. Besides these effects, lubiprostone also causes hyperpolarization in other tissues such as uterine muscle cells. This may prove to be of significant clinical benefit in the management of uterine pathologies in the near future.

Keywords: Lubiprostone; Cystic fibrosis; Colonoscopy; Uterine muscle; Prokinetic agent