Published online Jan 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i4.1054
Revised: October 30, 2013
Accepted: December 5, 2013
Published online: January 28, 2014
AIM: To examine the effect of intra-gastric triacetin on both upper gastrointestinal motility and proximal gastric tone in conscious dogs.
METHODS: Three beagle dogs under sedation were surgically implanted with gastrocutaneous fistula in the gastric body and force transducers in the gastric antrum and duodenum. Beginning at week-2 after insertion, the animals were either fasted for 24 h or fed a liquid meal 2-3 h before the experiment. With the animals fully conscious, a polyethylene bag was inserted into the proximal stomach through the gastrocutaneous fistula, followed by 15 min of air inflation (minimal distending pressure of ＋2 mmHg) and then 20 mL of a low-, mid- or high-concentration triacetin solution (0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%) or warm water (vehicle control). The proximal stomach receptive volume and gastric antral and duodenal contractions were measured over 10 min. The experiment was repeated twice per week over several months, with each animal receiving at least one infusion of the various triacetin solutions and the vehicle at different times. Intergroup differences were assessed by ANOVA and Bonferroni-Dunn post-hoc testing.
RESULTS: Intra-gastric infusion of mid- and high-concentration triacetin induced an increase in the proximal stomach receptive volume, and the average increase induced by the high-concentration at 0-4 min after infusion was significantly greater than that induced by the vehicle control (62.4 ± 9.8 vs 18.4 ± 4.7, P < 0.01). The mid- and high-concentration triacetin also produced a temporary inhibition of the gastric antral contractions at 2 min after infusions; however, only the fasted group showed triacetin-induced antral contractile inhibition that was significantly greater than that in the vehicle control group (P < 0.05). In addition, only the fasted group showed a high-concentration triacetin-induced increase in duodenal contractions at 9-10 min that was significantly different from that in the vehicle control group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Intra-gastric infusion of 1.0%-2.0% triacetin delays gastric emptying by increasing proximal stomach receptive volume, temporarily inhibiting gastric antral contractions and facilitating duodenal contractions.
Core tip: Intra-gastric infusion of short-chain triglycerides, such as triacetin, has been shown to delay gastric emptying in conscious dogs, but the influence on upper gastrointestinal motility is unknown. The current study examined time-dependent changes in motility following intra-gastric triacetin administration at various doses in conscious dogs and evaluated the effects of a fasted vs fed state. Compared to infusion of water (vehicle) alone, the 1.0% and 2.0% triacetin doses induced a significant increase in the proximal stomach receptive volume, a temporary inhibition of gastric antral contractions, and an increase in the duodenal contractions in fasted dogs.