A simple non-radioactive method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of stomach empyting and intestinal propulsion in the intact conscious rat.

A simple non-radioactive method for the simultaneous assessment of stomach emptying and intestinal propulsion in intact fasted conscious rats was developed employing Amberlite pellets. The Amberlite pellets were administered by gastric gavage and the rats were killed 20 or 120 min later. The number and percent of the pellets in the stomach and intestines and the distance travelled by each pellet in the small intestine were determined. The distance travelled by the leading pellet in the small intestine was employed as a parameter to determine effects on intestinal propulsion independent of the stomach emptying activity. Chlorisondamine (s.c.), atropine (s.c.), pentobarbital (i.p.) and sesame seed oil (p.o.) inhibited both stomach emptying and intestinal propulsion in a dose-related manner. All these agents also caused a dose-related displacement of the pellets in the small intestine which resulted in a more cephalad-oriented distribution of the pellets. Propantheline (s.c.) exerted a dose-related inhibition on the stomach emptying but not on intestinal propulsion. Carbachol (s.c.) increased both the rate of stomach emptying and that of propulsion in the small intestine.