Effects of Iberogast on proximal gastric volume, antropyloroduodenal motility and gastric emptying in healthy men.
OBJECTIVE
The herbal preparation Iberogast has been reported to improve upper abdominal symptoms in functional dyspepsia (FD) and to decrease fundic tone, increase antral contractility, and decrease afferent nerve sensitivity in experimental animals. The effects of Iberogast on the human gastrointestinal tract have not been evaluated.


METHODS
We investigated the effects of oral control and Iberogast, each administered as a single dose (1.1 mL), in a double-blind randomized fashion, on proximal gastric volume (part A), antropyloroduodenal motility (part B), and gastric emptying and intragastric distribution of a solid/liquid meal (part C) for 120 minutes, in nine (part A), 12 (part B), and eight (part C) healthy men.


RESULTS
Iberogast increased proximal gastric volume (max volume; control 104+/-12 mL, Iberogast 174+/-23 mL, P<0.05) (part A), increased the motility index of antral pressure waves in the first 60 minutes (P<0.05) without affecting pyloric or duodenal pressures (part B), and slightly increased the retention of liquid in the total stomach between 10 and 50 minutes (P<0.01), but had no effect on gastric emptying of solids or intragastric distribution (part C).


CONCLUSIONS
Iberogast affects gastric motility in humans, probably in a region-dependent manner. The stimulation of gastric relaxation and antral motility may contribute to the reported therapeutic efficacy of Iberogast in FD.
Pilichiewicz
Amelia N
AN
University of Adelaide Discipline of Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Horowitz
Michael
M
Russo
Antonietta
A
Maddox
Anne F
AF
Jones
Karen L
KL
Schemann
Michael
M
Holtmann
Gerald
G
Feinle-Bisset
Christine
C
D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000187:drug effects*; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D010936:Plant Extracts; C039964:iberogast