. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Aug 1.

Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Mar 17;18(8):571–587. doi: 10.1038/s41575-021-00423-7

Table 3 |.

Targeting glia for translational benefit

Glial mechanism	Potential benefit	Available drugs
Neuron–glia communication in acute inflammation	Reduce neuroinflammation, neuroprotection and visceral hypersensitivity (pain and dysmotility)	P2X7R antagonists: AZD9056, CE-224,535, GSK1482160 (REFs^{147,177,182,183}) Pannexin 1 antagonists: spironolactone¹⁷⁸ Neurokinin 2 receptor antagonists: ibodutant¹⁷⁷
Pathways triggering gliosis	Inflammation, inflammatory postoperative ileus, acute inflammation, inflammation, bacterial infections or in gastrointestinal diseases involving bacterial translocation, and neuroinflammation	Anakinra: IL-1R antagonist¹⁵² Proliferator-activated receptor-α agonist: palmitoylethanolamide⁶² Toll-like receptor, receptor for advanced glycation endproducts or nitric oxide synthase antagonists: L-NMMA, PF-04494700 (REFs^{13,61,148,174,175,184}) Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonist: cannabidiol¹³⁵ S100β inhibitor: pentamidine^{148,173,184,185}
Gliotransmission	Motility disorders such as postoperative ileus, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction or chronic constipation	None