Background: No studies are available on the relationship between the response of gut hormones and gastric emptying in different phases of the migrating motor complex. This study examined whether basal gut hormone concentrations in plasma before food ingestion are predictors of emptying characteristics and whether different hormone secretion patterns are associated with specific alterations in emptying rate.
Methods: Twelve healthy men were examined on two occasions: one with meal ingestion in phase I and the other with meal ingestion in phase II. The meal consisted of an omelette labelled with 99mTc followed by 150 ml water labelled with 111In. Plasma concentrations of gastrin, cholecystokinin, motilin, and peptide YY were measured in the fasting state, immediately after food ingestion, and at 15-min intervals in the postprandial period.
Results: New findings from the present study include a higher incremental integrated postprandial motilin response in phase I than in phase II (998 pmol/l*30 min (495 to 2010) versus 210 pmol/l*30 min (-270 to 2323), p < 0.05), and a linear relationship between median total integrated motilin response and solid emptying at 120 min in phase I (Rs = 0.58; p < 0.05). Furthermore, in phase I a linear relationship between total integrated area of cholecystokinin and solid emptying at 120 min was demonstrated (Rs = 0.62; p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings from the present investigation have to be considered in the future design of studies that focus on postprandial release of gastrointestinal hormones. The transition from phase III to phase I is a reproducible and easily recognized pressure event. Therefore, we recommend the use of food ingestion immediately after termination of duodenal phase III.