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BACKGROUND: Microscopic inflammation and impairment of the esophageal epithelial barrier are considered relevant for perception of symptoms in patients with nonerosive reflux disease (NERD). In these patients, the receptor transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is overexpressed in the esophageal mucosa, but its role is not yet fully understood. We evaluated the role of TRPV1 in esophageal inflammation and mucosal barrier impairment in a murine model of NERD. METHODS: Nonerosive reflux disease was surgically induced in Swiss mice by pyloric substenosis and ligature of the gastric fundus, and the mice were killed 7 days post surgery. The experimental groups were: I, sham surgery (negative control); II, NERD untreated; III and IV, NERD + SB366791 or capsazepine (TRPV1 antagonists); and V, NERD + resiniferatoxin (for long-term desensitization of TRPV1). The esophagus was collected for western blotting and histopathology and for evaluation of wet weight, myeloperoxidase (MPO), keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC), transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), and basal permeability to fluorescein. KEY RESULTS: Compared to sham, NERD mice had increased esophageal wet weight and MPO and KC levels. The mucosa had no ulcers but exhibited inflammation. NERD mice showed mucosal TRPV1 overexpression, a more pronounced decrease in TEER at pH 0.5 (containing pepsin and taurodeoxycholic acid), and increased basal permeability. Pharmacological modulation of TRPV1 prevented esophageal inflammation development, TEER changes by acidic exposure, and increase in esophageal permeability. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The TRPV1 receptor has a critical role in esophageal inflammation and mucosal barrier impairment in NERD mice, suggesting that TRPV1 might be a pharmacological target in patients with NERD.

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BACKGROUND: Inspiratory esophagogastric junction (EGJ) pressure is lower in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and patients fail to increase EGJ pressure during the inspiratory effort. The aim of this study was to assess the EGJ activity during inspiratory maneuvers (high-resolution manometry, HRM) and the crural diaphragm (CD) thickness (endoscopic ultrasound, EUS) in GERD. METHODS: Twenty esophagitis patients (average age 45 years, 7 grade A, 13 grade B) had HRM and EUS. Forty-three controls were recruited; 30 had HRM (average age 33 years), and 13 had EUS (average age 40 years). The EGJ contractility index (EGJ-CI) (mm Hg×cm) was measured during normal respiration and two inspiratory maneuvers: without and with inspiratory loads of 12, 24, and 48 cmH2 O (TH-maneuvers). A composite metric for TH-maneuvers ("EGJ total activity") was defined as the product of the maximal EGJ pressure and the length of its aboral excursion during the maneuver (mm Hg×cm). The CD thickness (cm) was measured during expiration (12 MHz). KEY RESULTS: Expiratory lower esophageal sphincter pressure and integrated relaxation pressure were lower in GERD. The EGJ-CI and the "EGJ total activity" were lower in GERD during TH-maneuvers (48-cmH2 O load: 168.4 ± 13.8 vs 114.8 ± 9.6, P=.006). Patients failed to sustain the inspiratory CD activity across the 12 and 48-cmH2 O efforts. The CD was thinner in GERD patients (0.37 ± 0.03 vs 0.49 ± 0.04, P=.02). The CD thickness correlated with the increment in the "EGJ total activity" in GERD without a hiatal hernia (r=.702, P=.016, n=11). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: There are anatomical changes and functional failure of the CD in esophagitis patients supporting the possibility of a skeletal muscle deficiency in GERD.

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Current medical curricula devote scarce time for practical activities on digestive physiology, despite frequent misconceptions about dyspepsia and dysmotility phenomena. Thus, we designed a hands-on activity followed by a small-group discussion on gut motility. Male awake rats were randomly submitted to insulin, control, or hypertonic protocols. Insulin and control rats were gavage fed with 5% glucose solution, whereas hypertonic-fed rats were gavage fed with 50% glucose solution. Insulin treatment was performed 30 min before a meal. All meals (1.5 ml) contained an equal mass of phenol red dye. After 10, 15, or 20 min of meal gavage, rats were euthanized. Each subset consisted of six to eight rats. Dye recovery in the stomach and proximal, middle, and distal small intestine was measured by spectrophotometry, a safe and reliable method that can be performed by minimally trained students. In a separate group of rats, we used the same protocols except that the test meal contained (99m)Tc as a marker. Compared with control, the hypertonic meal delayed gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit, whereas insulinic hypoglycemia accelerated them. The session helped engage our undergraduate students in observing and analyzing gut motor behavior. In conclusion, the fractional dye retention test can be used as a teaching tool to strengthen the understanding of basic physiopathological features of gastrointestinal motility.

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We studied the acute effect of intracranial hypertension (ICH) on gastric tonus of anesthetized rats. Brain ventricles were cannulated bilaterally for intracerebro-ventricular pressure (ICP) monitoring and ICH induction. Next, a balloon catheter was inserted at the proximal stomach and coupled to a barostat for gastric volume (GV) monitoring by plethysmography. Arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored continuously during 80-min. After a 20-min basal period, they were submitted to control or ICH protocols. In controls, the ICP varied spontaneously up to the end. Other rats were subjected to ICP rising to 10, 20, 40 or 60 mmHg and kept at these levels for 30-min. Another group was subjected after basal period to stepwise ICH (ICP rising to 20, 40 and 60 mmHg at every 10-min interval). Next, the ICH rats were monitored for further 30-min. Other rats, previously submitted to a subdiaphragmatic vagotomy, splanchnicectomy plus ganglionectomy or their respective sham surgery, were also studied under ICH. Each subset consisted of 5-6 rats. Data were compared to respective basal values after ANOVA and Bonferroni's test. In controls, the GV, AP, HR values remained within stable levels. Besides inducing bradycardia and arterial hypertension, ICH10 mmHg decreased GV by 14.8% at the 50-min interval. In ICH20, 40 and 60 mmHg subsets, GV decreased 14.0, 24.5 and 30.6% at the 40-min interval, respectively. In stepwise ICH rats, GV decreased 10.2% and 12.7%, respectively under ICP of 40 and 60 mmHg. The GV values remained significantly lower than basal levels during the last 30-min of monitoring. Thus, ICH decreases the GV in an ICP-dependent pattern besides inducing Cushing's reflex.

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Sildenafil slows down the gastric emptying of a liquid test meal in awake rats and inhibits the contractility of intestinal tissue strips. We studied the acute effects of sildenafil on in vivo intestinal transit in rats. Fasted, male albino rats (180-220 g, N = 44) were treated (0.2 mL, iv) with sildenafil (4 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.01 N HCl). Ten minutes later they were fed a liquid test meal (99m technetium-labeled saline) injected directly into the duodenum. Twenty, 30 or 40 min after feeding, the rats were killed and transit throughout the gastrointestinal tract was evaluated by progression of the radiotracer using the geometric center method. The effect of sildenafil on mean arterial pressure (MAP) was monitored in a separate group of rats (N = 14). Data (medians within interquartile ranges) were compared by the Mann-Whitney U-test. The location of the geometric center was significantly more distal in vehicle-treated than in sildenafil-treated rats at 20, 30, and 40 min after test meal instillation (3.3 (3.0-3.6) vs 2.9 (2.7-3.1); 3.8 (3.4-4.0) vs 2.9 (2.5-3.1), and 4.3 (3.9-4.5) vs 3.4 (3.2-3.7), respectively; P < 0.05). MAP was unchanged in vehicle-treated rats but decreased by 25 percent (P < 0.05) within 10 min after sildenafil injection. In conclusion, besides transiently decreasing MAP, sildenafil delays the intestinal transit of a liquid test meal in awake rats.

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Sildenafil slows down the gastric emptying of a liquid test meal in awake rats and inhibits the contractility of intestinal tissue strips. We studied the acute effects of sildenafil on in vivo intestinal transit in rats. Fasted, male albino rats (180-220 g, N = 44) were treated (0.2 mL, iv) with sildenafil (4 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.01 N HCl). Ten minutes later they were fed a liquid test meal (99m technetium-labeled saline) injected directly into the duodenum. Twenty, 30 or 40 min after feeding, the rats were killed and transit throughout the gastrointestinal tract was evaluated by progression of the radiotracer using the geometric center method. The effect of sildenafil on mean arterial pressure (MAP) was monitored in a separate group of rats (N = 14). Data (medians within interquartile ranges) were compared by the Mann-Whitney U-test. The location of the geometric center was significantly more distal in vehicle-treated than in sildenafil-treated rats at 20, 30, and 40 min after test meal instillation (3.3 (3.0-3.6) vs 2.9 (2.7-3.1); 3.8 (3.4-4.0) vs 2.9 (2.5-3.1), and 4.3 (3.9-4.5) vs 3.4 (3.2-3.7), respectively; P < 0.05). MAP was unchanged in vehicle-treated rats but decreased by 25% (P < 0.05) within 10 min after sildenafil injection. In conclusion, besides transiently decreasing MAP, sildenafil delays the intestinal transit of a liquid test meal in awake rats.

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We have observed that acute blood volume expansion increases the gastroduodenal resistance to the flow of liquid in anesthetized dogs, while retraction decreases it (Santos et al. (1991) Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 143:261-269). This study evaluates the effect of blood volume expansion and retraction on the gastric emptying of liquid in awake rats using a modification of the technique of Scarpignato (1980) (Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie, 246:286-294). Male Wistar rats (180-220g( were fasted for 16 h with water ad libitum and 1.5 ml of the test meal (0.5 mg/ml phenol red solution in 5 percent glucose) was delivered to the stomach immediately after random submission to one of the following protocols: 1) normovolemic control (N=22), 2) expansion (N=72) by intravenous infusion (1 ml/min) of Ringer-bicarbonate solution, volumes of 1,2,3 or 5 percent body weight, or 3) retraction (N-22) by controlled bleeding (1.5 ml/100g). Gastric emptying of liquid was inhibited by 19-51.2 percent (P<0.05) after blood volume expansion (volumes of 1,2,3 or 5 percent body weight). Blood volume expansion produced a sustained increase in central venous pressure while mean arterial presure was transiently increased during expansion (P<0.05). Blood volume retraction increased gastric emptying by 28.5-49.9 percent (P<0.05) and decreased central venous pressure and mean arterial pressure (P<0.05). Infusion of the shed blood 10 min after bleeding reversed the effect of retraction on gastric emptying. These findings suggest that gastric emptying of liquid is subject to modulation by the blood volume.

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It has been suggested that there are no gender effects on esophageal motility. However, in previous studies the subjects did not perform multiple swallows and the quantitative features of esophageal contractions were not evaluated. In order to investigate the gender effects on esophageal motility we studied 40 healthy normal volunteers, 20 men aged 37+15 years (mean + SD), and 20 women aged 38 +14 years. We used the manometric method with an eight-lumen polyvinyl catheter and continuous perfusion. The upper and lower esophageal sphincter pressures were measured by the rapid pull-through method. With the catheter positioned with one lumen opening in the lower esophageal sphincter, and the others at 5, 10 and 15 cm above the sphincter, ten swallows of a 5-ml water bolus alternated with ten dry swallows were performed. Statistical analysis was done by the Student t-test and Mann-Whitney test. Gender differences (P<0.05) were observed for wet swallows in the duration of contractions 5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter (men: 3.7 + 0.2 s, women: 4.5 + 0.3 s, mean + SEM), and in the velocity of contractions from 15 to 10 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter (men: 4.7 + 0.3 cm/s, women: 3.5 + 0.2 cm/s). There was no difference (P>0.05) in sphincter pressure, duration and percentage of complete lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, amplitude of contractions, or in the number of failed, multipeaked and synchronous contractions. We conclude that gender may cause some differences in esophageal motility which, though of no clinical significance, should be taken into consideration when interpreting esophageal motility tests.

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