Relationship between gastric mucosal hemodynamics and gastric motility

Continuous measurement of gastric mucosal hemodynamics (the index of mucosal hemoglobin concentration, the index of oxygen saturation and blood flow) in rats showed oscillatory changes. The mechanism of the oscillations was investigated using a probe specially designed for simultaneous measurement of hemodynamics and intragastric pressure. A hemodynamics-measuring probe for either reflectance spectrophotometry or laser-Doppler flowmetry was tied to a pressure microtransducer, inserted through an incision in the forestomach, and brought into gentle contact with the corpus mucosa. Synchronous oscillatory changes (4-6 cycles/min) in hemodynamics and motility were observed in the resting state (mean blood pressure: 120 mmHg). During moderate hemorrhagic hypotension (mean: 81 mmHg), oscillations in the hemodynamics increased in both amplitude and frequency, while motility remained constant. Oscillations in the hemodynamics were also affected by fluctuations in blood pressure and by topical application of norepinephrine to the corpus serosa. In water-immersion restraint rats, changes in the oscillations in the hemodynamics and motility were virtually synchronous; frequency decreased and amplitude increased. These findings suggest that oscillatory changes in gastric mucosal hemodynamics are regulated not only by gastric motility but also by arteriolar vasomotion of the gastric wall.