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Effect of Ethanol Exposure on Slow Wave Activity and Smooth Muscle Contraction in the Rat Small Intestine

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Abstract

Background

Ethanol ingestion causes a variety of gastrointestinal disturbances including motility alterations. Slow wave propagation coordinates gastrointestinal motility, and abnormal slow wave activity is thought to contribute to motility disorders. To date, however, little is known about the effect of acute ethanol on motility disturbances associated with slow wave activity.

Aim

To investigate the effect of ethanol on small intestine slow wave activity.

Methods

Segments (3–5 cm long) were isolated from the rat duodenum, jejunum, and ileum and mounted in an organ bath superfused with a normal Tyrode solution or with 1, 3, or 5 % ethanol containing Tyrode. The electrical activities were recorded using an array of 121 extracellular electrodes, and motility recordings were performed using a digital video camera.

Results

The frequency and amplitude of slow wave activity were not altered at 1, 3, or 5 % ethanol concentrations, but a significant drop in velocity was found at 3 and 5 % ethanol. Furthermore, inexcitable areas appeared in a dose-dependent manner. Slow wave was sometimes also seen to propagate in a circular fashion, thereby describing a reentrant loop. Finally, in all duodenal, jejunal, and ileal segments, ethanol inhibited contractions and became fully quiescent at 3–5 %.

Conclusions

These studies for the first time demonstrate that ethanol significantly inhibits slow wave and spike activity in a dose-dependent manner and could also initiate reentrant activities. Intestinal contractions were also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, ethanol inhibits both slow wave activity and motor activity to cause ethanol-induced intestinal disturbances.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mr. M. Shafiullah and Mr. M. ElWasila for taking care of the animals.

Author Contributions

SBS, BS and WJ designed and performed the experiments; SBS, BS, SSN, and WJ analyzed the data and SBS, KHS and WJL wrote the paper.

Grant Support

This work was supported by Grants from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al Ain, UAE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

    Sandeep B. Subramanya, Betty Stephen, Soumya S. Nair & Wim J. Lammers

  2. University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Karl-Herbert Schäfer

Authors
  1. Sandeep B. Subramanya
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  2. Betty Stephen
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  3. Soumya S. Nair
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  4. Karl-Herbert Schäfer
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  5. Wim J. Lammers
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Correspondence to Sandeep B. Subramanya.

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Subramanya, S.B., Stephen, B., Nair, S.S. et al. Effect of Ethanol Exposure on Slow Wave Activity and Smooth Muscle Contraction in the Rat Small Intestine. Dig Dis Sci 60, 3579–3589 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-015-3813-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-015-3813-7

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