title: Transforming growth factor-alpha delays gastric emptying and small intestinal transit in suckling rats.
abstract: Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is a biologically potent polypeptide detected in the gastrointestinal tract in suckling rats. The major goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the administration of TGF-alpha affects gastric emptying and small intestinal transit in suckling rats. Suckling (12-day-old) rats fasted 16 h received rat TGF-alpha subcutaneously (s.c.) or orogastrically in varying doses (0, 0.5, 1.0 microg/rat in 0.1% BSA). Control animals received 0.1% BSA only. Poly R-478 dye was used as a motility marker. Rats were decapitated 45 min after marker administration and the amount of dye in the stomach and the small intestine was measured by spectrophotometry. Subcutaneous administration of TGF-alpha significantly delayed stomach evacuation. In controls, the stomach contained 21.4 +/- 1.4% (mean +/- s(x)) of the Poly R-478 marker, whereas in TGF-alpha treated rats the stomach contained 37.2 +/- 2.8% of the total Poly R-478 dye given to animals. The delaying effect of TGF-alpha was time- and dose-dependent. Small intestinal transit was also significantly delayed. The proximal jejunum of TGF-alpha treated rats contained a 1.4-fold higher amount of marker in comparison with control rats. Orogastrically administered rTGF-alpha did not affect gastric emptying or intestinal transit. In conclusion, s.c. administration of rat TGF-alpha significantly delayed the gastrointestinal motility in vivo in suckling rats.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pediatrics and Steele Memorial Children's Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: McWilliam
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Koldovský
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Philipps
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dvorák
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010528:Peristalsis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011336:Probability; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha