Colonic motor response to a meal in dogs

We investigated the effects of ingestion of a meal on colonic motor activity in six conscious dogs, each instrumented with seven strain-gauge transducers to record circular muscle contractions. A 1,300-kcal meal was given after a 4-h control recording. The post-prandial period of 8 h was subdivided into an early period lasting 2 h and a late period lasting 6 h. The ingestion of the meal did not disrupt the colonic migrating myoelectric complexes (CMMCs) but prolonged their cycle length in the early postprandial period. The cycle length was not different from the control during the late postprandial period. The mean and total duration of contractile activity per hour increased significantly during the early postprandial period in the distal colon but not in the proximal or the middle colon. During the late postprandial period the mean and total duration of contractile activity per hour increased significantly throughout the colon. Giant migrating contractions occurred rarely during the 8-h postprandial period. We conclude that different parts of the colon respond to the ingestion of a meal in different ways. The response also depends on whether the fresh digesta has reached the colon. The late postprandial response is likely to be due to the entry of fresh digesta into the colon.