Roux-en-Y jejunal bypass abolishes postprandial neuropeptide Y release

Numerous physiologic aberrations occur after Roux-en-Y bypass procedures. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36 amino acid polypeptide, has been shown to have many effects on gastrointestinal physiology, including alterations in blood flow, motility, and secretion and absorption. Recent work demonstrating a postprandial increase in circulating NPY prompted this investigation into its potential roles after Roux-en-Y bypass. Three groups of rats underwent Roux-en-Y cholangiojejunostomy, jejunojejunostomy, or proximal jejunal transection with reanastomosis. After a 3-month recovery, the animals were tested with both mixed and fat meals. Control animals had rapid increases in circulating NPY after the mixed meal. This response was not seen in either of the Roux-en-Y groups (P less than 0.05). No animals had circulating changes in NPY after the fat meal. Additionally, small intestinal NPY receptor analysis revealed high NPY affinity to the epithelial cells of the proximal small intestine. Our results demonstrate a dependence of postprandial NPY release on proximal small intestinal continuity that is abolished by Roux-en-Y bypass of a jejunal segment. The absence of postprandial elevation in plasma NPY after proximal jejunal bypass and the abundance of NPY receptors in the proximal small intestine merits further investigation into the physiologic roles of NPY in the foregut.