The Effects of Liver Cirrhosis on Electrical Autorhythmicity of Isolated Duodenum in Rats

Background: Cirrhosis reduced small bowel motility and transit time, with unknown mechanisms. Moreover, intestinal motility depends on the electrical activity and the autorhythmicity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). If cirrhosis directly affects the intrinsic mechanism of intestinal motility, the isolated bowel of cirrhotic cases will also exhibit an electrical abnormality compared with normal cases. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the effects of liver cirrhosis on the electrical autorhythmicity of isolated duodenum in rats. Materials and Methods: Six weeks after bile duct ligation (BDL) surgery, animals were anesthetized, and blood samples were obtained from the heart for the evaluation of plasma cirrhosis indices, including weight, plasma albumin, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), bilirubin, and direct bilirubin. Then, the duodenum of rats was isolated and compared with the control group for the rate of electrical slow waves and the maximum amplitude of slow waves. Results: Significant differences were observed between the control and BDL group in terms of weight, plasma albumin, SGOT, SGPT, bilirubin, and direct bilirubin. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in the maximum amplitude of slow waves in the BDL group compared with the control. Conclusion: It seems that different factors directly harm the ICC network such as inflammation caused by microbiome amplification as a result of cirrhosis, which in turn reduces small bowel motility.