• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.348-353
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• 2006

In this study, a 40% ethanol extract of Chinese yam flour (Dioscoreae rhizoma), containing $177{\pm}58{\mu}g/mL$ of dioscin, was tested in order to evaluate its pharmacological effects on the gastrointestinal tracts of Sprague-Dawley rats. Via the ingestion of the Chinese yam extract, the secretion of gastric acid was suppressed in the rats, and gastrointestinal motility increased by as much as 10%. The fecal quantity of rats fed on the Chinese yam extract also increased, by more than 40% as compared with that of the controls. The Chinese yam extract was found not to affect the growth of normal intestinal bacteria. However, a great deal of lactose-fermenting bacteria was observed in the fecal samples of rats fed for 6 weeks on 2% Chinese yam extract. This finding would appear to suggest that Chinese yam extract not only induces an improvement in digestive capability, but also affects the conversion of some intestinal flora to helpful bacteria. Our serochemical analyses indicated that serum glucose, neutral lipid, and total cholesterol levels were reduced to some degree by long-term feeding on Chinese yam extract. This finding bolsters the notion that Chinese yam extract may prove helpful as a digestion-aiding agent for patients suffering from hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1093-1101
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• 2023

Objective: Cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a noninvasive method to quantitatively assess bowel motility. However, its accuracy in measuring various degrees of small bowel motility has not been extensively evaluated. We aimed to draw a quantitative small bowel motility score from cine MRI and evaluate its performance in a population with varying degrees of small bowel motility. Materials and Methods: A total of 174 participants (28.5 ± 7.6 years; 135 males) underwent a 22-second-long cine MRI sequence (2-dimensional balanced turbo-field echo; 0.5 seconds per image) approximately 5 minutes after being intravenously administered 10 mg of scopolamine-N-butyl bromide to deliberately create diverse degrees of small bowel motility. In a manually segmented area of the small bowel, motility was automatically quantified using a nonrigid registration and calculated as a quantitative motility score. The mean value (MV) of motility grades visually assessed by two radiologists was used as a reference standard. The quantitative motility score's correlation (Spearman's ρ) with the reference standard and performance (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC], sensitivity, and specificity) for diagnosing adynamic small bowel (MV of 1) were evaluated. Results: For the MV of the quantitative motility scores at grades 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3, the mean ± standard deviation values were 0.019 ± 0.003, 0.027 ± 0.010, 0.033 ± 0.008, 0.032 ± 0.009, and 0.043 ± 0.013, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the quantitative motility score and the MV (ρ = 0.531, P < 0.001). The AUROC value for diagnosing a MV of 1 (i.e., adynamic small bowel) was 0.953 (95% confidence interval, 0.923-0.984). Moreover, the optimal cutoff for the quantitative motility score was 0.024, with a sensitivity of 100% (15/15) and specificity of 89.9% (143/159). Conclusion: The quantitative motility score calculated from a cine MRI enables diagnosis of an adynamic small bowel, and potentially discerns various degrees of bowel motility.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.175-185
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was designed to investigate effects of electro-acupuncture's stimulated frequency, intensity, duration at 5736 on tile Small Intestine Motility in Rats. Methods The motor activity of small intestine in rats was evaluated by intestinal transportation rate. Changes in tile motility of ileum in vivo was measured at 10 minutes after electro-acupuncture. Various kinds of stimulus-frequency were used in this experiment: 2 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 2 Hz-4 trains, 8 Hz groups treated with EA of the condition in S mA, 1 ms pulse duration, 30 minutes stimulated duration. Three different stimulus-intensity were used: 1, 5, 10 mA groups treated with EA of the condition in 2 Hz, 1 ms pulse duration, 30 minutes stimulated duration. Six different stimulus-duration were used: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes groups treated with EA of the condition in 2 Hz, 5 mA, 1 ms pulse duration. Results : 2 and 100 Hz groups significantly increased the small intestine motility, but 50 Hz group did not induce a significant change. Besides, small intestine motility was significantly increased only in 5 mA intensity (5 times twitch). futhermore, at least 20 minutes EA treatment was necessary to increase the small intestine motility. Conclusion : Those basic data form this study can be applied to established the effective treatment of EA for gastrointestinal diseases in the clinical field.

• Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.643-655
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• 2018

Background/Aims Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disease characterized by intestinal dysmotility, the mechanism of which remains elusive. We aim to determine whether the high-affinity choline transporter 1 (CHT1), a determinant of cholinergic signaling capacity, modulates intestinal motility associated with stress-induced IBS. Methods A rat IBS model was established using chronic water avoidance stress (WAS). Colonic pathological alterations were evaluated histologically and intestinal motility was assessed by intestinal transit time and fecal water content (FWC). Visceral sensitivity was determined by visceromotor response to colorectal distension. RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunostaining were performed to identify colonic CHT1 expression. Contractility of colonic muscle strips was measured using isometric transducers. enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure acetylcholine (ACh). We examined the effects of MKC-231, a choline uptake enhancer, on colonic motility. Results After 10 days of WAS, intestinal transit time was decreased and fecal water content increased. Visceromotor response magnitude in WAS rats in response to colorectal distension was significantly enhanced. Protein and mRNA CHT1 levels in the colon were markedly elevated after WAS. The density of CHT1-positive intramuscular interstitial cells of Cajal and myenteric plexus neurons in WAS rats was higher than in controls. Ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate partly reversed CHT1 upregulation and alleviated colonic hypermotility in WAS rats. Pharmacological enhancement of CHT1 activity by MKC-231 enhanced colonic motility in control rats via upregulation of CHT1 and elevation of ACh production. Conclusion Upregulation of CHT1 in intramuscular interstitial cells of Cajal and myenteric plexus neurons is implicated in chronic stress-induced colonic hypermotility by modulation of ACh synthesis via nuclear factor-kappa B signaling.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1995.04a
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• pp.93-93
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• 1995

The three combined products were prepared as suspended solutions composed of various ratio of Sucralfate, Hydrotalcite and Neusilin, into which 30% ethanol extracts of Machili cortex, and of Atractylodis rhizoma were added. The efficacy for these products was examined in vivo using a pyrous ligation method in rats. The influence of these products on the intestinal motility was also examined in mice. In all experimental setting, the antisecretory effect of the combined treatment was more pronounced than that of each drug alone. The combined treatment consisted of Sucralfate, Hydrotalcite, Neusilin ratios of 2:2:1 produced the highest inhibitory effect for the gastric secretion. The intestinal motility was not influenced significantly by the treatment of all experimental setting. The above results revealed that the therapeutic dose of Sucralfate, Hydrotalcite, Neusilin given in combination showed a synergistic effect for the inhibition of gastric secretion and little side effect on the intestinal motility. Therefore, the combined product with Sucralfate, Hydrotalcite, Neusilin ratio of 2:2:1 is recommended for the useful drug to heal the gastrointestinal diseases with no side effect on the intestinal motility.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.323-326
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• 2006

Suaeda (S.) asparagoides $M_{IQ}$, one of the halophyte groups, has been used as a folk remedy for digestive disturbances in Korea. However, its pharmacological activity on gastrointestinal motility has not been reported yet. In this study, the effects of this halophyte extracts with various solvent fractions (ethanol, hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water) on mice ileal spontaneous motility was examined. All solvent fractions at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml$ showed inhibitory actions on spontaneous motility of ileum with the potency order of water > 70% ethanol > hexane ${\gg}$ chloroform ${\geq}$ butanol ${\geq}$ ethyl acetate, respectively. In addition, the water fraction of extracts from S. asparagoides $M_{IQ}$ (WFSA) dose-dependently ($1-100{\mu}g/ml$) inhibited the amplitude of spontaneous phasic contraction and area under the contractile curve (AUC). The inhibitory effect of water fraction at the concentration of $10{\mu}g/ml$ was not affected by tetrodotoxin (TTX), $Na^+$ channel blocker ($1{\mu}M$), and $N^w$-nitro-L-arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME), nitric oxide synthase inhibitor ($100{\mu}M$). However, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA, $10{\mu}M$), inhibitor of sarcoplasmic reticulum $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase, almost blocked the inhibitory effects of WFSA ($10{\mu}g/ml$) on the spontaneous phasic contraction of mouse ileum. But, CPA did not inhibit the lowering basal tone effects of WFSA. The result of this study showed that various extracts of S. asparagoides $M_{IQ}$ induce inhibitory effects on spontaneous contraction of mice ileal segments. More over, the polar solvent fractions were shown to be more potent than non-polar solvent fractions. The effects of S. asparagoides $M_{IQ}$ extracts are not mediated by nerve or nitric oxide. The inhibitory effects of WFSA at least partially mediated by sarcoplasmic reticulum $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase. However, further study is required to determine the exact pharmacological mechanisms of this halophyte on its gastrointestinal motility inhibitory effects.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.218-226
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• 2012

Dopamine is an enteric neurotransmitter that regulates gastrointestinal motility. This study was done to investigate whether dopamine modulates spontaneous pacemaker activity in cultured interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) from mouse using whole cell patch clamp technique, RT-PCR and live $Ca^{2+}$ imaging analysis. ICCs generate pacemaker inward currents at a holding potential of -70 mV and generate pacemaker potentials in current-clamp mode. Dopamine did not change the frequency and amplitude of pacemaker activity in small intestinal ICCs. On the contrary dopamine reduced the frequency and amplitude of pacemaker activity in large intestinal ICCs. RT-PCR analysis revealed that Dopamine2 and 4-receptors are expressed in c-Kit positive ICCs. Dopamine2 and 4 receptor agonists inhibited pacemaker activity in large intestinal ICCs mimicked those of dopamine. Domperidone, dopamine2 receptor antagonist, increased the frequency of pacemaker activity of large intestinal ICCs. In $Ca^{2+}$-imaging, dopamine inhibited spontaneous intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ oscillations of ICCs. These results suggest that dopamine can regulate gastrointestinal motility through modulating pacemaker activity of large intestinal ICCs and dopamine effects on ICCs are mediated by dopamine2 receptor and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ modulation.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.313-322
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• 2007

Extract of Japanese red pine needles has been used in Asia pacific regions since long periods believing its valuable properties as tonic and ability of curing diseases of unidentified symptoms. Some selective compounds present in the extract and their effects were analyzed. Carbohydrates and vitamin c were identified using HPLC; terpenoid compounds by GC-MS; anti-bacterial analysis by paper discs, plates count and gastrointestinal motility by whole cell patch clamp. The extract is a mixture of compounds therefore its diverse effect was expected. Self-fermentation in extract proceeds after spontaneous appearance of yeast strains without inoculation. Effects and composition of the extract vary with varying period of self-fermentation. Extract inhibits the growth of bacteria dose dependently exhibiting its antibacterial properties however effectiveness increases with increase in fermentation period. The extract also can modulate gastrointestinal motility in murine small intestine by modulating pace maker currents in ICC mediated through ATP sensitive potassium channel.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.27-36
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• 1994

In order to investigate the effect of BODUOPAE-SAN(BOS), experiments were performed on analgesic effect induced by acetic acid, duration of hypnosis induced by pentobarbital-Na in mice and gastric ucler in Shay rats and indomethacin induced gastric ulcer, HCI-ethanol induced gastrci lesion in rats and gastric juice secretion in Shay rats. The results are as followings. 1. BOS showed significantly an analgesic effect induced by acetic acid. 2. BOS prolonged the duration of hypnosis induced by pentobarbital-Na in rats 3. BOS rised the spontaneous motility of isolatied ileum of mice temporarily. 4. BOS depressed the gastric motility of rats significantly. 5. BOS showed an anti-ulcer effect in Shay rats and indometacine-induced ulcer rats significantly. 6. BOS reduced the ulcer index of the HCl-ethanol induced gastric lesion in rats. 7. BOS reduced the gastric juice secretion in Shay rats. From above results think BOS is more effective in comparison to the OPAESAN alone on gastrointestinal disorder.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.537-545
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• 2023

Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder characterized by impaired lower esophageal sphincter relaxation and peristalsis of the esophageal body. With the increasing prevalence of achalasia, interest in the role of endoscopy in its diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring is also growing. The major diagnostic modalities for achalasia include high-resolution manometry, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and barium esophagography. Endoscopic assessment is important for early diagnosis to rule out diseases that mimic achalasia symptoms, such as pseudo-achalasia, esophageal cancer, esophageal webs, and eosinophilic esophagitis. The major endoscopic characteristics suggestive of achalasia include a widened esophageal lumen and food residue in the esophagus. Once diagnosed, achalasia can be treated either endoscopically or surgically. The preference for endoscopic treatment is increasing owing to its minimal invasiveness. Botulinum toxins, pneumatic balloon dilation, and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) are important endoscopic treatments. Previous studies have demonstrated excellent treatment outcomes for POEM, with >95% improvement in dysphagia, making POEM the mainstay treatment option for achalasia. Several studies have reported an increased risk of esophageal cancer in patients with achalasia. However, routine endoscopic surveillance remains controversial owing to the lack of sufficient data. Further studies on surveillance methods and duration are warranted to establish concordant guidelines for the endoscopic surveillance of achalasia.