Relationships between cecoileal reflux and ileal motor patterns in conscious pigs

Effect of short chain fatty acids infused intraileally on interdigestive exocrine pancreatic secretions in growing pigs

The effect of intraileally infused short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and saline as control on the exocrine pancreatic secretions during the interdigestive phase was studied using three 8-weeks-old piglets. Pigs were surgically fitted with a pancreatic duct catheter, re-entrant duodenal T-cannula for collection and subsequent return of pancreatic juice, and with an infusion T-cannula at the distal ileum. Saline as control, 5.0 and 10.0 mm butyrate, 7.5 and 15.0 mm propionate and 85.0 and 170.0 mm acetate were infused at 2 ml/kg body weight (BW) for 30 min into the ileum of overnight fasted piglets via ileal T-cannula. The calculated volume of infusates was administrated in five equal bolus at 6 min intervals over a period of 30 min. The pancreatic juice was collected 60 and 30 min before and 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after the start of infusion. The trypsin (p = 0.07, p > 0.15 respectively) and protein (p > 0.15, p = 0.05 respectively) outputs immediately decreased after the infusion of acetate at the dose of 85.0 and 170.0 mm, respectively, whereas pancreatic juice outflow (p > 0.15) was not significantly affected when compared with levels 30 min before infusion. After the infusion of butyrate at the dose of 5.0 mm, trypsin (p = 0.01) and protein (p = 0.12) outputs increased immediately whereas pancreatic juice outflow was not affected (p > 0.15) in comparison with levels 30 min before infusion. No significant differences were observed after infusion of butyrate at the dose of 10 mm for the pancreatic juice outflow, trypsin and protein outputs when compared with the level before infusion, although these values were numerically lower immediately after the infusion. The pancreatic juice outflow increased (p = 0.03) after the infusion of propionate at the dose of 7.5 mm and decreased (p = 0.005) immediately after the infusion of propionate at the dose of 15.0 mm when compared with the levels 30 min before the infusions. After the infusion of propionate at the dose of 7.5 or 15.0 mm for the output of protein and trypsin, no significant differences (p > 0.15) were observed when compared with levels 30 min before infusion. In summary, the intraileal infusion of SCFA at different doses exerts a short-term and moderate effect on the interdigestive exocrine pancreatic secretions in pigs.

Motility of the large intestine and flow of digesta in pigs

The motor function of the large intestine of pigs is incompletely understood. Here the ileo-caecal-colonic motility is investigated by means of chronically implanted extraluminal strain gauge transducers and simultaneous videofluoroscopy in six pigs. Motility parameters were evaluated by computer and manually. The dominant feature of the ileal motility were aborally propagating giant contractions (velocity: 3.9 (0.7) cm sec(-1)) occurring at intervals of 7-12 minutes. They pushed the ileal digesta into the caecum. Despite a fed-state, migrating motor complexes occurred at intervals of 131.5 (8.1) minutes consisting of repetitive peristaltic waves. The motility of the caecum showed clustered contractions representing haustral movements. Transfer of caecal digesta and gas into the colon was caused by peristaltic contractions. The motility of the proximal colon was characterised by long peristaltic waves resulting in a rapid aboral transport of gas and a slow aboral flow of digesta. The propagation velocities along the centripetal and centrifugal loops of the colonic coil were 2.8 (0.6) and 5.7 (0.8) cm sec(-1), respectively. About half of the colonic waves were coordinated with the ileal giant contractions and the caecal peristaltic waves. The contraction parameters showed pronounced differences between the ileum and large intestine. The contraction rise time of the caecal and colonic contractions was about twice that of the ileal contractions (5.1 (0.2) and 4.4 (0.6) seconds versus 2.2 (0.1) seconds). Consequently, the maximal frequencies of the caecal and colonic contractions were about half compared with the ileal contractions (5.3 (0.4) and 6.1 (0.1) contractions min(-1) versus 11.8 (0.3) contractions min(-1)). Results show that the contractile patterns and motor functions of the individual intestinal segments differ markedly.

Desensitization of ileal vagal receptors by short-chain fatty acids in pigs

Coloileal reflux episodes trigger specialized ileal motor activities and inhibit gastric motility in pigs. The initiation of these events requires the detection by the distal ileum of the invading colonic contents that differ from the ileal chyme primarily in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations. In addition to the already described humoral pathway, this detection might also involve ileal vagal afferents. Sensitivity to SCFA of 12 ileal vagal units was investigated in anesthetized pigs with single-unit recording at the left cervical vagus. SCFA mixtures (0.35, 0.7, and 1.4 mol/l) containing acetic, propionic, and butyric acids in proportions identical to that in the porcine cecocolon were compared with isotonic and hypertonic saline. All units behaved as slowly adapting mechanoreceptors (half-adaptation time = 35.4 +/- 15.89 s), and their sensitivity to local mechanical probing was suppressed by local anesthesia; 7 units significantly decreased their spontaneous firing with 0.7 and 1.4 but not 0.35 mol/l SCFA infusion compared with hypertonic or isotonic saline. Similarly, the response induced by distension in the same seven units was reduced (5 neurons) or abolished (2 neurons) after infusion of 0.7 (22.8 +/- 2.39 impulses/s) and 1.4 (30.3 +/- 2.12 impulses/s) mol/l SCFA solutions compared with isotonic saline (38.6 +/- 4.09 impulses/s). These differences in discharge were not the result of changes in ileal compliance, which remained constant after SCFA. In conclusion, SCFA, at concentrations near those found during coloileal reflux episodes, reduced or abolished mechanical sensitivity of ileal vagal afferents.

Ileal short-chain fatty acids inhibit gastric motility by a humoral pathway

The aim of this study was to evaluate the nervous and humoral pathways involved in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-induced ileal brake in conscious pigs. The role of extrinsic ileal innervation was evaluated after SCFA infusion in innervated and denervated Babkin's ileal loops, and gastric motility was measured with strain gauges. Peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations were evaluated in both situations. The possible involvement of absorbed SCFA was tested by using intravenous infusion of acetate. Ileal SCFA infusion in the intact terminal ileum decreased the amplitude of distal and terminal antral contractions (33 +/- 1.2 vs. 49 +/- 1.2% of the maximal amplitude recorded before infusion) and increased their frequency (1.5 +/- 0.11 vs. 1.3 +/- 0.10/min). Similar effects were observed during SCFA infusion in ileal innervated and denervated loops (amplitude, 35 +/- 1.0 and 34 +/- 0. 8 vs. 47 +/- 1.3 and 43 +/- 1.2%; frequency, 1.4 +/- 0.07 and 1.6 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.1 +/- 0.14 and 1.0 +/- 0.12/min). Intravenous acetate did not modify the amplitude and frequency of antral contractions. PYY but not GLP-1 concentrations were increased during SCFA infusion in innervated and denervated loops. In conclusion, ileal SCFA inhibit distal gastric motility by a humoral pathway involving the release of an inhibiting factor, which is likely PYY.

Short-chain fatty acids present in the ileum inhibit fasting gastrointestinal motility in conscious pigs

Colonic compounds, primarily short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), inhibit gastric tone in humans. However, since colonic compounds reflux into the ileum, SCFAs might act also at the ileal level. This study evaluates the effects of the contact of SCFAs with the ileum alone towards gastrointestinal motility in fasted conscious pigs. Gastrointestinal motility was recorded during ileal infusion of a mixture containing acetate, propionate and butyrate in intact vs ileostomized animals (n = 10). Ileal infusions of isomolar (500 mmol L-1) vs isocaloric (600 kJ L-1) SCFAs were also performed. SCFA mixture reduced significantly the amplitude and increased the frequency of antral contractions in intact (motility index: 2624 +/- 503.4 vs 4077 +/- 388.2) and ileostomized pigs (motility index: 2428 +/- 678.1 vs 4709 +/- 773.4) compared with iso-osmotic saline. SCFAs at isomolar concentrations inhibited equally gastric motor pattern irrespective of their chemical structure. On the contrary, isocaloric concentrations of SCFAs induced graded effects: acetic acid being the most potent to reduce gastric motility. In conclusion, SCFAs inhibit gastrointestinal motility by a direct contact with the ileum. This inhibition was concentration dependent.