Pellegrino R, Gravina AG. Irritable bowel syndrome remains a complex disorder of gut-brain interaction: Too many actors on stage. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(8): 101357 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i8.101357]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Raffaele Pellegrino, MD, Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via L De Crecchio, Naples 80138, Italy. raffaele.pellegrino@unicampania.it
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2025; 31(8): 101357 Published online Feb 28, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i8.101357
Irritable bowel syndrome remains a complex disorder of gut-brain interaction: Too many actors on stage
Raffaele Pellegrino, Antonietta Gerarda Gravina
Raffaele Pellegrino, Antonietta Gerarda Gravina, Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples 80138, Italy
Author contributions: Pellegrino R and Gravina AG reviewed the literature, wrote the initial manuscript, conceptualized the figure, conceptualized the structure of the text, and critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Raffaele Pellegrino, MD, Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via L De Crecchio, Naples 80138, Italy. raffaele.pellegrino@unicampania.it
Received: September 11, 2024 Revised: December 29, 2024 Accepted: January 6, 2025 Published online: February 28, 2025 Processing time: 133 Days and 15.2 Hours
Abstract
The recent study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology examines the interplay among the neuroendocrine axis, gut microbiota, inflammatory markers, and gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). By integrating all these factors into a single study, this approach reflects the modern concept of functional gastrointestinal disorders as disorders of the gut-brain interaction to be approached in a multiparametric manner, also incorporating non-gastroenterological elements and extending evaluations to parameters related to the neuroendocrine axis. This invited letter to the editor summarizes the main results of the aforementioned study and highlights its multiparametric approach, including variables not strictly gastroenterological, in the study of IBS, and discusses its strengths and limitations.
Core Tip: This letter highlights the complex interplay among the neuroendocrine axis, gut microbiota, and inflammatory response in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). By adopting a multiparametric approach, the findings proposed by the commented article suggest that IBS involves both gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine factors, supporting the biopsychosocial model for understanding and managing functional gastrointestinal disorders.
