Influence of methionine-enkephalin and morphine on myoelectric activity of small bowel

Enkephalins, naturally occurring peptides with powerful opiatelike effects, have recently been detected throughout the tissues of the alimentary tract, but their role is unknown. This study was designed to compare the effects of methionine-enkephalin (met-enkephalin) and morphine on the myoelectrical pattern of the small bowel. Five conscious dogs were prepared with electrodes spaced 25 cm apart along the entire small intestine. Spike activity and slow waves were recorded with a Beckman Dynograph. Records were obtained in fasted conditions and following a meat meal or intravenous infusion of caerulein while animals received intravenous infusion of either met-enkephalin or morphine in various doses (range 10-160 microgram/kg . h). Met-enkephalin at a dose of 40 microgram/kg . h caused a significant decrease in spike activity and in the frequency of bursts of the interdigestive myoelectric complexes (IMC), whereas morphine almost doubled the frequency of the IMC. Met-enkephalin in dogs given food or infused with caerulein significantly decreased the fed-type spike activity of the small bowel, whereas morphine did not affect it. The effects of met-enkephalin and morphine on the intestinal myoelectrical pattern can be reversed by naloxone, an opioid antagonist, suggesting that they are mediated by separate opioid receptors.