Complete cervical or thoracic spinal cord transections delay gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit of liquid in awake rats

Abstract

Study Design: To determine the changes on gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit of liquid throughout the first week after spinal cord transection (SCT) in rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats (n = 121) were fasted for 16 h and a complete SCT or laminectomy was performed between C7 and T1 (cervical group) or between T4 and T5 (thoracic group). Dye recovery in the stomach, proximal, mid and distal small intestine was determined 30 min, 6 h, 1, 3 or 7 days after surgery. The test meal (1.5 ml of a phenol red solution, 0.5 mg/ml in 5% glucose) was intragastrically administered and the animals sacrificed by cervical dislocation 10 min later. Results: Cervical SCT increased dye recovery in the stomach (P < 0.05) by 70.1, 78.7, 34.2 41.3 and 50.9% while it decreased recovery in the mid small intestine (P < 0.05) by 87.1, 85.1, 74.8, 59.5 and 80.1%, respectively 30 min, 6 h, 1, 3 and 7 days after SCT. Thoracic SCT increased gastric recovery (P < 0.05) by 43.5, 67.6, 51.2, 75.4 and 38.9% while it decreased recovery in the mid small intestine (P < 0.05) by 100, 100, 45.6, 100 and 66.6%, respectively 30 min, 6 h, 1, 3 and 7 days after SCT. A separate group was submitted to laminectomy + bilateral sciatic nerve transection (paraplegic sham). Gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit were not inhibited in this group. Conclusion: In summary, gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit of liquid are inhibited throughout the first week after high SCT in awake rats.