The relationship between propagated contractions and pseudoaffective changes in blood pressure in response to intestinal distension

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between changes in small intestinal motility and changes in blood pressure and heart rate in response to intestinal distension. Rats were maintained under stable anaesthesia with α-chloralose, and jejunal motility, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. Pressure changes during propagated contractions of the circular muscle were recorded in the jejunum when the intraluminal pressure was maintained at 10 mmHg. Raising the pressure in 10 mmHg increments from 10 mmHg to 40 mmHg increased the frequency of propagated contractions from 0.30 ± 0.06 min-1 (mean ± SEM) to 1.29 ± 0.09 per min. In contrast, amplitudes of contractions above baseline pressure decreas..