Different actions of intravenous ethanol on basal (= interdigestive) secretion of gastric acid, pancreatic enzymes and bile acids and gastrointestinal motility in man.

The action of an intravenous infusion of ethanol (10% v/v; given in a dose of 300 mg kg-1 body weight for 30 min followed by 3 mg kg-1 min-1 for 2 hr) on the basal (= interdigestive) gastrointestinal motor activity and the basal gastric acid, pancreatic amylase and bile acid secretion was determined in 6 healthy human volunteers. Ethanol did not affect the duration of the interdigestive motor complex and the output of bile acids into the duodenum. Ethanol significantly (P less than 0.05) stimulated the gastric acid output by about 2.2-fold and inhibited the pancreatic amylase output by about 43% as compared to control experiments in which an intravenous infusion of 0.15 M NaCl was given. Ethanol did not alter the mean plasma levels of gastrin and pancreatic polypeptide as compared to prestimulatory values and to control experiments. In conclusion, these results show that intravenous ethanol given in a moderate dose stimulates gastric acid output and inhibits pancreatic amylase output in fasting non-alcoholic human beings. The mechanism(s) of these different actions of ethanol is unknown since release of gastrin or pancreatic polypeptide by ethanol does not account for the observed effects of intravenous ethanol.