title: Sexual differences of the inhibitory effect of ethanol on gastrointestinal motility: in vivo and in vitro studies.
abstract: Female brain is more sensitive to the acute exposure of ethanol. This study aimed to investigate the sexual difference of the ethanol-induced inhibition of gastrointestinal motility. Wistar rats were fasted and allowed drinking water only 12 - 18 h before the experiments. In the in vivo experiments, by using an oral radiochromium motility marker, the liquid gastric emptying and intestinal transit were [corrected] measured 30 min after ethanol treatment. In the in vitro study, strips of stomach and duodenum smooth muscle were suspended in organ baths containing Krebs solution, and their isometric contractions were also examined. Systemic administration of ethanol (2 g/kg, i.p.) significantly inhibited the gastric emptying and intestinal transit, and the effect on female rats turned out to be greater than that on the male rats (P < 0.05). In an in vitro study, ethanol (0.38 x 10(-3) M - 1.34 x 10(-3) M) inhibited the motility of gastric antrum and duodenum in rats of both sexes, but there was no sexual difference in the inhibitory effect of ethanol on muscle strips. We concluded that sexual difference of the ethanol-induced inhibition of gastrointestinal motility was not resulted from the smooth muscle itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ke-Jing
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shuang-Lian
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dong-Ping
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Pei-Yi
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Paulus S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chuan-Yong
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol