Gallbladder motility and gut hormone plasma levels in subjects with and without gallstones.
Hormonal control of gallbladder motility is still unclear in patients with cholelithiasis. In a case-control study, we determined the characteristics of gallbladder emptying evaluated sonographically and the hormone levels of somatostatin, gastrin, and pancreatic polypeptide, before and after a fatty meal in 10 gallstone patients compared with 20 healthy subjects. Patients with lithiasis had a larger residual volume (median 12,0 ml vs 6,5 ml; P = 0.01) and a lower gallbladder ejection fraction (43% vs 70%, P = 0.02) than healthy subjects. During fasting, plasma pancreatic polypeptide concentrations were significantly higher in lithiasis patients (P < 0.03). In contrast, no differences between the two groups of patients were observed during the post prandial period. Somatostatin and gastrin plasma levels were similar in the two groups. Lastly, the serum bile salt levels were in the normal range and were not different between groups both during fasting and postprandial states. We conclude that large basal plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide, a gut peptide inducing gallbladder relaxation, may constitute a factor facilitating lithogenesis.
Montet
Jean-Claude
JC
UPRES EA3286, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille.
Caroli-Bosc
François-Xavier
FX
Ferrari
Patricia
P
Piche
Thierry
T
Baize
Nathalie
N
Anty
Rodolphe
R
Montet
Anne-Marie
AM
Rampal
Patrick
P
Tran
Albert
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D042882:Gallstones / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide / Q000097:blood
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005755:Gastrins; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide