Intestinal smooth muscle cell

Intestinal muscle refers to the layers of smooth muscle cells that form the muscular walls of the intestines and mediate contraction and relaxation to propel and mix intestinal contents. Its major cellular subtypes are the circular and longitudinal smooth muscle layers, innervated by the enteric nervous system and regulated by neurotransmitters (like acetylcholine via muscarinic receptors), hormones, and local factors. Intestinal smooth muscle participates in peristalsis and segmentation, enabling digestive motility. While not a drug target itself, numerous receptors and ion channels expressed on these cells constitute well-established therapeutic targets for various gastrointestinal disorders, mainly focusing on the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors ( predominantly M2 and M3), calcium channels, and others[1][3][4][5][6][8]. Additional clarification: "Intestinal muscle" is not the name of a single gene, protein, receptor, or enzyme. Instead, it is a collective anatomical term for a cell type, so it does not conform to the conventions for canonical molecular targets. Therapeutic targeting occurs at the level of specific receptors or ion channels present on intestinal smooth muscle cells (e.g., muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3, L-type calcium channel), not the "intestinal muscle" as a whole. Therefore, this is not a canonical molecular target, and the query may be too generic or imprecise for molecular targeting workflows[1][3][6][8].

Other names

Intestinal muscleVisceral muscle (when referring to the intestine)GI smooth muscleGastrointestinal smooth muscle

Modulation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (primarily M2 and M3 subtypes); Inhibition/activation of voltage-gated calcium channels; cAMP/cGMP-mediated relaxation or contraction pathways