gastrins and Gallstones

To investigate the mechanisms and effects of sphincter of Oddi (SO) motility on cholesterol gallbladder stone formation in guinea pigs.. Thirty-four adult male Hartley guinea pigs were divided randomly into two groups, the control group (n = 10) and the cholesterol gallstone group (n = 24), which was sequentially divided into four subgroups with six guinea pigs each according to time of sacrifice. The guinea pigs in the cholesterol gallstone group were fed a cholesterol lithogenic diet and sacrificed after 3, 6, 9, and 12 wk. SO manometry and recording of myoelectric activity were obtained by a multifunctional physiograph at each stage. Cholecystokinin-A receptor (CCKAR) expression levels in SO smooth muscle were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and serum vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin, and cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at each stage in the process of cholesterol gallstone formation.. The gallstone formation rate was 0%, 0%, 16.7%, and 83.3% in the 3, 6, 9, and 12 wk groups, respectively. The frequency of myoelectric activity in the 9 wk group, the amplitude of myoelectric activity in the 9 and 12 wk groups, and the amplitude and the frequency of SO in the 9 wk group were all significantly decreased compared to the control group. The SO basal pressure and common bile duct pressure increased markedly in the 12 wk group, and the CCKAR expression levels increased in the 6 and 12 wk groups compared to the control group. Serum VIP was elevated significantly in the 9 and 12 wk groups and gastrin decreased significantly in the 3 and 9 wk groups. There was no difference in serum CCK-8 between the groups.. A cholesterol gallstone-causing diet can induce SO dysfunction. The increasing tension of the SO along with its decreasing activity may play an important role in cholesterol gallstone formation. Expression changes of CCKAR in SO smooth muscle and serum VIP and CCK-8 may be important causes of SO dysfunction.

Topics: Animals; Cholesterol; Disease Models, Animal; Electromyography; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Gallstones; Gastrins; Guinea Pigs; Manometry; Muscle, Smooth; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptor, Cholecystokinin A; Sincalide; Sphincter of Oddi; Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

To investigate roles of sphincter of Oddi (SO) motility played in pigment gallbladder stone formation in model of guinea pigs.. Thirty-four adult male Hartley guinea pigs were divided randomly into two groups: the control group and pigment stone group. The pigment stone group was divided into 4 subgroups with 6 guinea pigs each according to time of sacrifice, and were fed a pigment lithogenic diet and sacrificed after 3, 6, 9 and 12 wk. SO manometry and recording of myoelectric activity of the guinea pigs were obtained by multifunctional physiograph at each stage. Serum vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin and cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) were detected at each stage in the process of pigment gallbladder stone formation by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.. The incidence of pigment gallstone formation was 0%, 0%, 16.7% and 66.7% in the 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-wk group, respectively. The frequency of myoelectric activity decreased in the 3-wk group. The amplitude of myoelectric activity had a tendency to decrease but not significantly. The frequency of the SO decreased significantly in the 9-wk group. The SO basal pressure and common bile duct pressure increased in the 12-wk group (25.19 ± 7.77 mmHg vs 40.56 ± 11.81 mmHg, 22.35 ± 7.60 mmHg vs 38.51 ± 11.57 mmHg, P < 0.05). Serum VIP was significantly elevated in the 6- and 12-wk groups and serum CCK-8 was decreased significantly in the 12-wk group.. Pigment gallstone-causing diet may induce SO dysfunction. The tension of the SO increased. The disturbance in SO motility may play a role in pigment gallstone formation, and changes in serum VIP and CCK-8 may be important causes of SO dysfunction.

Topics: Animals; Cholestasis; Disease Models, Animal; Gallstones; Gastrins; Guinea Pigs; Male; Manometry; Membrane Potentials; Pressure; Sincalide; Sphincter of Oddi; Time Factors; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

to study factors contributing to gallstone formation and to elucidate their relationship.. The examination of 230 patients with various hepatobiliary abnormalities used dynamic ultrasonic cholecystography, multifractional duodenal intubation, followed by a microscopic study and determination of the physicochemical properties of bile. Enzyme immunoassay was employed to measure the peripheral blood levels of gastrin, insulin, T3, T4, thyroid-stimulating hormone, cortisol, and growth hormone.. All the patients were found to have signs of an early (gallstone pre-formation) stage of cholelithiasis. Decreased emptying of the gallbladder and its hypotonia and altered bile physicochemical properties were ascertained to be poor predictors of possible gallstone formation.. Correlation analysis has shown the important role of hormonal factors in the formation of lithogenic bile.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Bile; Biomarkers; Cholecystography; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gallbladder; Gallstones; Gastrins; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Insulin; Intubation; Male; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Thyrotropin; Ultrasonography; Young Adult

The disorders of gallbladder motility may play an important role in the formation of gallstones. Many neural and hormonal factors and their interactions regulate gallbladder motility and bile flow into the duodenum. Further study in these factors may help to reveal the etiology of gallbladder diseases. This study was undertaken to assess the relationship of the levels of motilin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and gastrin in blood and gallbladder tissues with the formation of cholelithiasis.. The levels of motilin, gastrin and VIP in blood and gallbladder tissues of 36 patients with gallbladder stones, 14 patients with gallbladder polyps, 10 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with common bile duct stones were measured by radioimmunoassay.. The level of motilin in plasma and gallbladder tissues of the gallbladder stone group was higher than that of the control and gallbladder polyp groups (P<0.05). The levels of plasma VIP and serum gastrin were much higher than those of the other three groups (P<0.01). The level of VIP in gallbladder tissues was higher than that of the control and gallbladder polyp groups (P<0.01).. The abnormal excretion of hormonal factors is closely related to gallstone formation. The high level of VIP in gallbladder tissues may be an important cause of gallbladder hypomotility. The abnormal level of serum gastrin may be related to the gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with gallstones.

Topics: Common Bile Duct; Female; Gallbladder; Gallstones; Gastrins; Gastrointestinal Hormones; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motilin; Polyps; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

Hormonal control of gallbladder motility is still unclear in patients with cholelithiasis. In a case-control study, we determined the characteristics of gallbladder emptying evaluated sonographically and the hormone levels of somatostatin, gastrin, and pancreatic polypeptide, before and after a fatty meal in 10 gallstone patients compared with 20 healthy subjects. Patients with lithiasis had a larger residual volume (median 12,0 ml vs 6,5 ml; P = 0.01) and a lower gallbladder ejection fraction (43% vs 70%, P = 0.02) than healthy subjects. During fasting, plasma pancreatic polypeptide concentrations were significantly higher in lithiasis patients (P < 0.03). In contrast, no differences between the two groups of patients were observed during the post prandial period. Somatostatin and gastrin plasma levels were similar in the two groups. Lastly, the serum bile salt levels were in the normal range and were not different between groups both during fasting and postprandial states. We conclude that large basal plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide, a gut peptide inducing gallbladder relaxation, may constitute a factor facilitating lithogenesis.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Dietary Fats; Fasting; Female; Gallbladder; Gallstones; Gastrins; Gastrointestinal Motility; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pancreatic Polypeptide