Effect of esophageal distention on basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion in rats

It is well established that the esophageal distention (ED) leads to gastric relaxation, partly by vago-vagal reflex, but till now, the effect of ED on gastric acid secretion has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ED on basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion.

Adult male Wistar rats (200-240 g) were deprived of food but not the water 24 h before the experiments. Under urethane anesthesia (1.2 g/kg, i.p.), animals underwent tracheostomy and laparotomy. A catheter was inserted in the stomach through duodenum for gastric distention and gastric washout and the esophagus was cannulated with a distensible balloon orally to distend esophagus (0.3 ml, 10 min). Gastric acid secretion was stimulated by gastric distention, carbachol (4 microg/kg, i.p.) or histamine (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Effects of vagotomy, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10 mg/kg, i.v.) and also hexamethonium were investigated.

Basal and gastric distention- and carbachol, histamine-stimulated acid secretion were reduced by the ED (P<0.05, P<0.0001, P<0.01 and P<0.02, respectively). L-NAME (10 mg/kg, i.v.) elevated the acid output (P<0.002). Vagotomy reduced the inhibitory effect of the esophagus distention on gastric distention-induced acid secretion (P<0.01).

These results indicate that the vagus nerves are involved in the inhibitory effect of the ED on the basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion. Furthermore, nitric oxide could be involved.