The animal gut effectively prevents the entry of hazardous substances and microbes while permitting the transfer of nutrients, such as water, electrolytes, vitamins, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals and microbial metabolites, which are intimately associated with intestinal homoeostasis. The gut maintains biological functions through its nutrient-sensing receptors, including the Ca-sensing receptor (CaSR), which activates a variety of signalling pathways, depending on cellular context. CaSR coordinates food digestion and nutrient absorption, promotes cell proliferation and differentiation, regulates energy metabolism and immune response, stimulates hormone secretion, mitigates secretory diarrhoea and enhances intestinal barrier function. Thus, CaSR is crucial to the maintenance of gut homoeostasis and protection of intestinal health. In this review, we focused on the emerging roles of CaSR in the modulation of intestinal homoeostasis including related underlying mechanisms. By elucidating the relationship between CaSR and animal gut homoeostasis, effective and inexpensive methods for treating intestinal health imbalance through nutritional manipulation can be developed. This article is expected to provide experimental data of the effects of CaSR on animal or human health.
Keywords: CCK cholecystokinin; CaSR Ca-sensing receptor; ECD extracellular domain; IP3 inositol triphosphate; NHE sodium–hydrogen exchanger; PDE phosphodiesterase; PLC phospholipase C; Ror2 receptor tyrosine kinase like orphan receptor 2; TAB TAK1-binding protein; TNFR TNF-α receptor; Calcium-sensing receptor; Inflammatory responses; Intestinal barrier; Intestinal homoeostasis; Secretory diarrhoea.