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SmartPill™ Administration to Assess Gastrointestinal Function after Spinal Cord Injury in a Porcine Model-A
Chase A Knibbe1, Rakib Uddin Ahmed1, Felicia Wilkins1
1Department of Neurological Surgery, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Biomedicines
|June 28, 2023
Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts gastrointestinal (GI) function, causing prolonged gastric emptying and colon transit times. This study used the SmartPill™ in minipigs to reveal significant GI motility changes post-SCI.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently leads to gastrointestinal (GI) complications, including motility disorders and metabolic issues, negatively impacting patient outcomes.
- Autonomic nervous system imbalance post-SCI causes severe GI dysfunction.
- The SmartPill™ offers a non-invasive method to assess GI function by measuring pH, temperature, and pressure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare pre- and post-SCI GI transit times, pH, and pressures using the SmartPill™ in a minipig model.
- To evaluate the impact of SCI on gastric emptying time (GET), colon transit time (CTT), and intraluminal pressures.
- To investigate the effect of tributyrin on the gut microenvironment post-SCI.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the SmartPill™ capsule in three minipigs to record GI parameters at 2 and 6 weeks post-SCI.
- Administered tributyrin to two pigs to assess its influence on the gut microenvironment.
- Analyzed data for changes in transit times, pH, pressure, and contraction frequencies.
Main Results:
- Observed prolonged GET and CTT, decreased antral and colonic contraction frequencies, and reduced duodenal pressures post-SCI.
- Noted increased colonic pressure amplitude with decreased contraction frequency at 2 weeks post-SCI.
- Detected transient pH changes in the colon and small intestine at 2 weeks post-SCI, with minimal stomach pH alteration.
Conclusions:
- SCI significantly alters GI motility and pressure dynamics in minipigs, characterized by prolonged transit times and altered contractile activity.
- These findings highlight the potential of the SmartPill™ for characterizing GI dysfunction after SCI.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate these trends and optimize interventions for post-SCI GI complications.
