# Gastrointestinal Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $250,297

## Abstract

Project Summary – Gastrointestinal Core 
The Gastrointestinal Core will provide the resources and innovative expertise to evaluate the bi-directional 
interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and central effects of drugs of abuse. The major impetus for this 
new core stems from the growing need for the evaluation of new compounds and pharmacological approaches 
to treat pain that are devoid of side-effects, particularly those associated with the gastrointestinal tract. Recent 
evidence that alterations in the gut microbiome affects several aspects of CNS functions, including those related 
to drug-induced anxiety and mood, suggests that understanding gastrointestinal effects for drugs of abuse is 
important and necessary. In particular, opioid-mediated gastrointestinal dysfunction represents a major effect 
that significantly limits their use for pain relief. Additionally, the complement of neurotransmitters, receptors and 
ion channels within the enteric nervous system are similar to those in the central neurons, and thus the gut also 
provides a useful model to examine the functional effects of drugs of abuse. Recent studies have further 
established that the gut-brain axis is bidirectional in which alterations of gut physiology can modulate central 
effects of drugs of abuse. The specific aims of the GI Core are to a) provide the resources to evaluate the effects 
of drugs of abuse on GI function, including in vivo and in vitro assays, and b) to evaluate the role of the 
microbiome on the central/peripheral effects of drugs of abuse. We will also utilize our recently developed 
methodologies to isolate and record from identified enteric neurons from transgenic mice and extrinsic sensory 
neurons from the dorsal root ganglia, to evaluate the mechanisms by which drugs of abuse affect ionic 
conductances and determine the role of the microbiome in the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse. Over the 
last decade, NIDA-funded investigators at VCU have recognized the need to evaluate various drugs of abuse in 
the gastrointestinal tract. Through collaboration with the Akbarali laboratory, their research has been expanded 
to investigate opioid sparing effects of endocannabinoids, mu receptor biased ligands, the effects of nicotinic 
agonists in reversal of opioid-induced constipation, and the interaction of HIV-1 Tat and morphine in enteric 
neurons, as well as developed the hypothesis defining the role of the gut microbiome in the development of 
opioid tolerance. Thus, this core enables young and established investigators to delve into an important 
physiological system relevant to drug abuse and provides training in this emerging field for drug abuse research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10374826
- **Project number:** 5P30DA033934-09
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** HAMID I AKBARALI
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $250,297
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-12-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10374826

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10374826, Gastrointestinal Core (5P30DA033934-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10374826. Licensed CC0.

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