Cervical Spinal Cord Transection (SCT) Increases Gastric Compliance in Anesthetized Rats

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) can markedly alter the autonomic nervous system’s functions. It immediately causes autonomic and somatic hypo- or arreflexia, a state known as spinal shock. SCI determines the enhancement of two gastric reflexes that appear in normal conditions: the receptive and adaptative reflexes. Furthermore, this study also tried to evaluate the causes that led to such modifications: either vagal control, nitric oxide (NO)-pathways or intestine-intestinal reflexes. Male Wistar rats (N=25) were subjected to laminectomy (Sham group) or laminectomy + complete Spinal Cord Transection (SCT), between C7 and T1 vertebrae under anesthesia (SCT group). Before the surgery, the rats had water and food ad libitum; after the surgery, rats were fasted for 24 hours, still having access to water. The next day, all animals were subjected to a catheterism of their right carotid artery, a tracheostomy and a flexible balloon introduction down to the stomach’s fundix region, also under anesthesia. Rats were connected to a Power-Lab® system, via a pressure transducer (in order to measure the arterial pressure – MAP - and the heart rate - HR), and to a modified Plethysmometer (in order to measure the fundical gastric volume - GV variation). Vagal control was studied via cervical vagotomy; NO-mediation - via NO synthesis inhibitors (L-NAME); intestinointestinal reflexes - by using laxatives (Lactulone). Statistical analysis revealed, in some cases, that GV is significantly (p<0.05) augmented in SCT rats (2,4±0,09; 3,1±0,05; 3,7±0,06 ml) than in Sham (2,2±0,12; 2,9±0,12; 3,3±0,15 ml). Nevertheless, MAP and HR, were subsequently lower (p<0.05) in SCT (63,5±21,1mm Hg; 227,1±25,2 BPM) than in the control group (88,2±14,4mm Hg; 427,0±19,2 BPM). In summary, the increase of GV in SCT, seems to involve vagal pathways and/or NO-mediation, but still not neglecting the colic-gastric reflexes.