ABSTRACT
Ghrelin is a gut peptide that is secreted from the stomach and stimulates food intake. There are ghrelin receptors throughout the gut and intracerebroventricular ghrelin has been shown to increase gastric acid secretion. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of peripherally administered ghrelin on gastric emptying of a non-nutrient and nutrient liquid, as well as, basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion in awake rats. In addition, gastric contractility was studied in vitro. Rats equipped with a gastric fistula were subjected to an intravenous infusion of ghrelin (10-500 pmol kg(-1) min(-1)) during saline or pentagastrin (90 pmol kg(-1) min(-1)) infusion. After administration of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 with 51Cr as radioactive marker, or a liquid nutrient with (51)Cr, gastric retention was measured after a 20-min infusion of ghrelin (500 pmol kg(-1) min(-1)). In vitro isometric contractions of segments of rat gastric fundus were studied (10(-9) to 10(-6) M). Ghrelin had no effect on basal acid secretion, but at 500 pmol kg(-1) min(-1) ghrelin significantly decreased pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion. Ghrelin had no effect on gastric emptying of the nutrient liquid, but significantly increased gastric emptying of the non-nutrient liquid. Ghrelin contracted fundus muscle strips dose-dependently (pD2 of 6.93+/-0.7). Ghrelin IV decreased plasma orexin A concentrations and increased plasma somatostatin concentrations. Plasma gastrin concentrations were unchanged during ghrelin infusion. Thus, ghrelin seems to not only effect food intake but also gastric motor and secretory function indicating a multifunctional role for ghrelin in energy homeostasis.
Subject(s)
Gastric Acid/metabolism , Gastric Emptying/drug effects , Peptide Hormones/metabolism , Peptide Hormones/pharmacology , Animals , Gastrins/blood , Ghrelin , Glucagon/blood , Glucose/metabolism , In Vitro Techniques , Insulin/blood , Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/blood , Male , Muscle Contraction/drug effects , Muscle Contraction/physiology , Neuropeptides/blood , Orexins , Pentagastrin/metabolism , Pentagastrin/pharmacology , Peptide Hormones/administration & dosage , Polyethylene Glycols/administration & dosage , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Somatostatin/bloodABSTRACT
The 5-HT(3) and 5-HT(4) receptor antagonists alosetron and piboserod, and the muscarinic receptor antagonists PNU-171990A (2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl 1-phenylcyclopentanecarboxylate, hydrochloride) and PNU-174708A (2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl 1-phenylcyclohexanecarboxylate) were studied by electromyography, defining the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) after i.v. administration in conscious rats. Alosetron prolonged the MMC cycle length from 16.6 to maximally 30.4 min at the dose 0.5 mg kg(-1). Piboserod promptly abolished MMC pattern and prolonged cycle length from 16.5 to >60 min at 0.5 mg kg(-1). PNU-171990A and PNU-174708A had no effect on basal cycle length up to a dose of 20 mg kg(-1). In controls, saline did not change the MMC pattern, while L-hyoscyamine at the same dose, 20 mg kg(-1), prolonged cycle length from 17.6 to 29.0 min. None of the drugs affected duration or propagation velocity of phase III of MMC. Blockade of 5-HT(4) receptors seems to exert a powerful inhibitory effect on motility, 5-HT(3) receptor blockade is less efficient and muscarinic receptor blockade has low efficacy.
