Vagally induced gastric antral contractions and gastric emptying of a liquid test meal

Abstract

The emptying of a liquid test meal from the stomach was studied during, and in the absence of, electrical stimulation of cut ends of a thoracic branch of the vagus in anaesthetized cats. The test meal (154 mmol.1-1 NaCl and 30 mg.1-1 phenol red) was measured by collecting effluent from a duodenal fistula over a 30 min period. The stomach emptied about 60% of the meal under control conditions compared with over 90% during efferent stimulation of the vagus. The increased volumes emptied during efferent stimulation were not accounted for by secretion of gastric acid. Coincident with the vagally evoked antral contractions there was a gush of liquid from the duodenal cannula. Afferent vagal stimulation resulted in an initial marked delay of emptying followed by an acceleration so that the volume emptied after 30 min was similar to that in control experiments. Antral contractions, evoked by efferent vagal stimulation, accelerated the emptying of a liquid test meal from the stomach.