Interactions between gastric volume and duodenal nutrients in the control of liquid gastric emptying.

We examined the relationships between gastric volume and duodenal glucose load in the regulation of gastric emptying in adult male rhesus monkeys. Intragastric glucose loads (0.125 g/ml) of volumes ranging from 150 to 375 ml empty from the stomach at the same rate from 20 to 120 min. However, to achieve these equivalent emptying rates, progressively larger volumes were emptied in the initial 20 min with increasing gastric volume. Duodenal glucose infusions dose dependently inhibited the 10-min emptying of various volumes of intragastric saline. Although increasing gastric volume resulted in increased emptying, duodenal glucose right-shifted the relationship between initial gastric volume and volume emptied. These data demonstrate that liquid nutrient gastric emptying represents an interaction between gastric volume and nutrient-induced duodenal feedback. For controlled duodenal caloric delivery rates to be established, sufficient nutrient emptying must occur to increase the magnitude of duodenal feedback to withhold a given gastric volume.