Time‐course of recovery of gastric emptying and motility in rats with experimental spinal cord injury

• Published in: Neurogastroenterology and motility 2010-01, Vol.22 (1), p.62-e28
• Main Authors: Qualls‐creekmore, E., Tong, M., Holmes, G. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: [13C]‐breath test; Animals; Breath Tests; Caprylates - chemistry; Carbon Isotopes - metabolism; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Gastric Emptying - physiology; gastric stasis; gastrointestinal motility; Gastrointestinal Motility - physiology; gastrointestinal transit; Gastrointestinal Transit - physiology; Male; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Recovery of Function; spinal cord contusion; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; spinal cord transection; vagal reflexes
• ISSN: 1350-1925; 1365-2982
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2982.2009.01347.x

We have shown recently that spinal cord injury (SCI) decreases basal gastric contractions 3 days after injury. In the present study we used the [13C]‐octanoic acid breath test and gastric strain gauges with the aim to investigate the time‐course of recovery from postinjury gastric stasis in rats that underwent experimental SCI at the level of the third thoracic (T3) vertebra. Following verification of the [13C]‐breath test sensitivity in uninjured rats, we conducted our experiments in rats that underwent T3‐ spinal contusion injury (T3‐CI), T3‐spinal transection (T3‐TX) or laminectomy (control) surgery at 3 days, 1, 3 or 6 weeks postinjury. Our data show that compared to rats that underwent laminectomy, rats that received SCI showed a significant reduction in the cumulative per cent [13C] recovery. Although more marked in T3‐TX rats, the delayed gastric emptying in T3‐CI and T3‐TX rats was comparable in the 3 days to 3 weeks period postinjury. At 6 weeks postinjury, the gastric emptying in T3‐CI rats recovered to baseline values. Conversely animals in the T3‐TX group still show a significantly reduced gastric emptying. Interestingly, the almost complete functional recovery observed in T3‐CI rats using the [13C]‐breath test was not reflected by analysis of spontaneous gastric contractions after SCI. These data indicate that T3‐SCI produces a significant reduction in gastric emptying independent of injury severity (T3‐CI vs T3‐TX) that persists for at least 3 weeks after injury. However, 6 weeks postinjury T3‐CI, but not T3‐TX, rats begin to demonstrate functional recovery of gastric emptying.