Influence of motilin on gastrointestinal electrical activity in the conscious piglet.

In conscious just-weaned piglets, fed ad libitum, with electrodes implanted in the wall of the antrum pylori, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and caecum, infusion of motilin (2 and 20 ng/kg/min for 2h) induced a transient increase in the frequency of the fast oscillations in the antrum followed by a delayed decrease. The polypeptide, however, was unable to induce a premature or extra phase III activity or to change the frequency of the migrating myoelectrical complexes.