Apelin stimulation of duodenal bicarbonate secretion: feeding-dependent and mediated via apelin-induced release of enteric cholecystokinin.

AIMS: Apelin peptides are the endogenous ligand of the G protein-coupled receptor APJ. Proposed actions include involvement in control of cardiovascular functions, appetite and body metabolism. We have investigated the effects of apelin peptides on duodenal bicarbonate secretion in vivo and the release of cholecystokinin (CCK) from acutely isolated mucosal cells and the neuroendocrine cell line STC-1. METHODS: Lewis × Dark Agouti rats had free access to water and, unless fasted overnight, free access to food. A segment of proximal duodenum was cannulated in situ in anaesthetized animals. Mucosal bicarbonate secretion was titrated (pH stat) and apelin was administered to the duodenum by close intra-arterial infusion. Total RNA was extracted from mucosal specimens, reverse transcripted to cDNA and the expression of the APJ receptor measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Apelin-induced release of CCK was measured using (1) cells prepared from proximal small intestine and (2) STC-1 cells. RESULTS: Even the lowest dose of apelin-13 (6 pmol kg⁻¹ h⁻¹) caused a significant rise in bicarbonate secretion. Stimulation occurred only in continuously fed animals and even a 100-fold greater dose (600 pmol kg⁻¹ h⁻¹) of apelin was without effect in overnight food-deprived animals. Fasting also induced an eightfold decrease in the expression of APJ receptor mRNA. Apelin induced significant release of CCK from both mucosal and STC-1 cells, and the CCK(A) receptor antagonist devazepide abolished bicarbonate secretory responses to apelin. CONCLUSION: Apelin-induced stimulation of duodenal electrolyte secretion is feeding-dependent and mediated by local mucosal release of CCK.

Duodenal bicarbonate secretion in rats: stimulation by intra-arterial and luminal guanylin and uroguanylin.

AIM: Uroguanylin and guanylin are endogenous ligands for guanylate cyclase C, an upstream regulator of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane resistance (CFTR) anion channel, and both peptides increase intestinal anion export in vitro. We have compared the effects of close intra-arterial and luminal administration of uroguanylin and guanylin on duodenal bicarbonate secretion in vivo and studied the interactions with melatonin and cholinergic stimulation. METHODS: Lewis x Dark Agouti rats were anaesthetized and a segment of the proximal duodenum with intact blood supply was cannulated in situ. Mucosal bicarbonate secretion (pH stat) was continuously recorded and peptides were infused intra-arterially or added to the luminal perfusate. RESULTS: Intra-arterial (50-1000 pmol kg(-1) h(-1)) as well as luminal administration (50-500 nmol L(-1)) of guanylin or uroguanylin caused dose-dependent increases in the duodenal secretion. Luminal administration induced more rapidly appearing rises in secretion and the two peptides induced secretory responses of similar shape and magnitude. The melatonin MT(2)-selective antagonist luzindole (600 nmol kg(-1)) significantly depressed the response to intra-arterial guanylins but did not affect secretion induced by luminal guanylins. Similarly, the muscarinic antagonist atropine (0.75 micromol kg(-1) followed by 0.15 micromol kg(-1) h(-1)) abolished the response to intra-arterial uroguanylin but caused only slight suppression of the response to luminal uroguanylin. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-arterial as well as luminal uroguanylin and guanylin are potent stimuli of duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion in vivo. The response to luminal guanylins reflects an action at apical receptors. Stimulation by parenteral guanylins, in contrast, is under cholinergic influence and interacts with melatonin produced by mucosal enteroendocrine cells.

Peripheral melatonin mediates neural stimulation of duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion.

Melatonin is released from intestinal enterochromaffin cells and from the pineal gland, but its role in gastrointestinal function is largely unknown. Our aim was to study the involvement of intestinal and central nervous melatonin in the neurohumoral control of the duodenal mucosa-protective bicarbonate secretion. Working in anesthetized rats, we cannulated a 12-mm segment of duodenum with an intact blood supply and titrated the local bicarbonate secretion with pH-stat. Melatonin and receptor ligands were supplied to the duodenum by close intra-arterial infusion. Even at low doses, melatonin and the full agonist 2-iodo-N-butanoyl-5-methoxytryptamine increased duodenal bicarbonate secretion. Responses were inhibited by the predominantly MT2-selective antagonist luzindole but not by prazosin, acting at MT3 receptors. Also, luzindole almost abolished the marked rise in secretion induced by intracerebroventricular infusion of the adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine. This response was also abolished by sublaryngeal ligation of all nerves around the carotid arteries. However, it was insensitive to truncal vagotomy alone or sympathectomy alone and was unaffected by removal of either the pineal gland or pituitary gland. Thus, melatonin stimulates duodenal bicarbonate secretion via action at enterocyte MT2-receptors and mediates neural stimulation of the secretion.

Intracerebral adrenoceptor agonists influence rat duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion.

We have studied the effects of intracerebral administration of selective alpha-adrenergic agonists on duodenal bicarbonate secretion. Duodenum free of Brunner's glands was cannulated in situ in anesthetized rats, and bicarbonate secretion into the luminal reperfusate was continuously titrated by pH stat. Infusion of the alpha 1-selective adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine (1,000-2,500 micrograms.kg-1.h-1), into a lateral brain ventricle increased (P < 0.01) duodenal bicarbonate secretion. Pretreatment with prazosin, an alpha 1-antagonist, significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the stimulatory effect when infused into the lateral ventricle (30 micrograms.kg-1.h-1), but not when administered intravenously (1,000 micrograms.kg-1.h-1). Hexamethonium (10 mg.kg-1.h-1 iv) abolished stimulation, whereas cervical vagotomy, epidural blockade, and naloxone were each without effect. Vasopressin, vasopressin antagonists, ts, and oxytocin did not affect basal secretion. Intracerebro-ventricular administration of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine (1,000 micrograms.kg-1.h-1), in contrast to alpha 1-receptor activation, decreased (P < 0.01) the secretion. Thus central nervous adrenoceptors influence duodenal mucosal bicarbonate te secretion, and alpha 1-adrenoceptor stimulation may provide protection against luminal acid. This potent stimulation was not mediated by the vagal nerves, spinal cord pathways, or the release of beta-endorphin but involves nicotinic, possibly enteric nervous transmission.

Cholinergic influence on duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion in the anesthetized rat.

Bicarbonate secretion by duodenum distal to the Brunner's glands area was titrated in situ in rats anesthetized with thiobarbiturate. The unselective muscarinic antagonist atropine (0.4 mg/kg) inhibited secretion stimulated by bethanechol (15 micrograms.kg-1.h-1) but not that stimulated by carbachol (15 micrograms.kg-1.h-1). The nicotinic antagonist hexamethonium (10 mg.kg-1.h-1), however, abolished the latter response. The muscarinic M1-selective antagonists pirenzepine and telenzepine (0.025, 0.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) did not decrease but caused a dose-dependent rise in duodenal mucosal HCO3- secretion, an effect abolished by cervical vagotomy or infusion of the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine (0.1 mg.kg-1.h-1). Phentolamine alone caused a sustained increase in secretion. McN-A-343 (0.025, 0.25, and 2.5 mg/kg), an M1-selective agonist and ganglionic stimulator, increased the HCO3- secretion; this effect was not prevented by vagotomy but was attenuated by pirenzepine. Intracerebroventricular infusion of pirenzepine and telenzepine did not cause any changes in secretion. These findings suggest that peripheral muscarinic M1 and nicotinic receptors mediate cholinergic stimulation of duodenal mucosal HCO3- secretion. Pirenzepine and telenzepine may act stimulatory by antagonizing muscarinic M1-transmission in peripheral sympathetic ganglia, thus decreasing postsynaptic adrenergic inhibition.

Stimulation of mucosal alkaline secretion in rat duodenum by dopamine and dopaminergic compounds.

BACKGROUND: The catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) inhibitor nitecapone, which prevents mucosal degradation of dopamine, and some dopamine receptor agonists ameliorate gastroduodenal mucosal damage. Therefore, their effects on mucosal bicarbonate secretion were studied. METHODS: Duodenum just distal to the Brunner's glands area was cannulated in situ in anesthetized rats. Bicarbonate secretion into the luminal perfusate and transmucosal electrical potential difference (PD) were recorded. RESULTS: Intravenous dopamine (50 micrograms.kg-1 x h-1) increased bicarbonate secretion twofold, and a higher rate of infusion (250 micrograms.kg-1 x h-1) resulted in a further increase. Neither dose affected the PD. The dopamine D1 agonist SKF-38393 (10-50 micrograms/kg) and the COMT inhibitor nitecapone (50-500 micrograms/kg) caused dose-dependent increases in secretion, similar to that observed with dopamine. Domperidone, a peripherally acting dopamine antagonist, inhibited the stimulatory effects of SKF-38393 and nitecapone. Hexamethonium or the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine, in contrast, did not affect the response to nitecapone. Intracerebroventricular administration of nitecapone was without effect. CONCLUSIONS: A probable electroneutral component of duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion is stimulated via peripheral dopamine D1 receptors. This may contribute to the previously observed ulceroprotective actions of dopaminergic compounds.

Effects of diazepam and Ro 15-1788 on duodenal bicarbonate secretion in the rat.

Bicarbonate secretion by duodenal mucosa just distal to the Brunner's glands area and devoid of pancreatic secretions was titrated in situ in anesthetized rats. Intravenous injection of diazepam (0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) significantly increased the secretion; this stimulation was abolished by proximal bilateral vagotomy. Ro 15-1788, a benzodiazepine antagonist that also has well-known intrinsic activity, caused similar stimulation of the secretion when administered IV (0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg). Intracerebroventricular infusion of Ro 15-1788 (10 micrograms/h) resulted in a greater increase in secretion; again, this stimulation was prevented by vagotomy. Adrenoceptor blockade by phentolamine increased basal alkaline secretion but did not affect the stimulation by diazepam. The tricyclic antidepressant trimipramine (2.5 mg/kg IV) did not affect the duodenal bicarbonate secretion. For comparison, effects of diazepam and Ro 15-1788 (10(-6)-10(-4) mol/L) were also tested in isolated bullfrog duodenal mucosa. Neither drug effected the alkaline secretion in vitro. The combined results strongly suggest that benzodiazepines, as previously shown for certain brain peptides, influence the central nervous control of duodenal mucosal alkaline secretion and that their stimulation of secretion is vagally mediated. This action benzodiazepines might be used in modulating mucosal protection against acid.

Stimulation of duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion in the rat by brain peptides.

Bicarbonate secretion by duodenal mucosa free of Brunner's glands was titrated in situ in anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular infusion of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (0.01-1 microgram/h), bombesin, gastrin-releasing peptide, or corticotropin-releasing factor increased the bicarbonate secretion and the transmucosal electrical potential difference. The increase in secretion in response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone and bombesin was prevented by cervical vagotomy. Intravenous administration of the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine increased the magnitude and duration of the response, suggesting that these two peptides in addition to eliciting vagal stimulation of the duodenal secretion, by sympathetic activation, inhibit the secretion. Intravenous thyrotropin-releasing hormone (3.6 mg/kg) did not affect the secretion, further indicating that effects were elicited within the central nervous system. Intracerebroventricular infusion of cholecystokinin-octapeptide or beta-endorphin had no effect on duodenal bicarbonate secretion or on the potential difference. The latter peptide was a potent stimulant of the secretion when injected intravenously and probably acts at a peripheral site. The central nervous control of duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion is thus influenced by some specific peptides that are known to occur in brain tissue, and duodenal protection against acid might be modulated by agents affecting this control.

HCO3- secretion in rat duodenum after treatment with omeprazole and ranitidine.

The bicarbonate secretion by the duodenal mucosa, which is stimulated by luminal acid, is very probably important in mucosal protection against the acid. It was of interest to investigate whether long-term deprivation of the mucosa of this acid stimulus affected the alkali secretion. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 4-6 weeks with either omeprazole, 14 mg/kg body weight twice daily, or ranitidine, 300 mg/kg twice daily, by means of gastric intubation. The rate of bicarbonate secretion by the duodenal mucosa was determined in situ by continuous titration. Neither the basal secretion nor the increase in secretion in response to stimulation by prostaglandin E2 or luminal acid (pH 2.0 for 5 or 60 min) differed in treated animals from that in controls that had received placebo (p greater than 0.05). Thus, 4-6 weeks of treatment with omeprazole or ranitidine did not reduce duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion in the rat, nor did these drugs diminish the ability of this mucosa to respond to prolonged luminal acidification or luminally administered prostaglandin E2.

beta-Endorphin and enkephalins stimulate duodenal mucosal alkaline secretion in the rat in vivo.

Secretion of HCO3- by duodenum just distal to the Brunner's glands area and devoid of pancreatic HCO3- was titrated in situ in anesthetized rats. Secretion increased significantly after intravenous injection of small amounts (10-20 ng/kg) of the opioid peptides beta-endorphin, methionine-enkephalin, and leucine-enkephalin. Maximum (approximately twofold) stimulation by beta-endorphin and leucine-enkephalin occurred at 20 ng/kg. Morphine (50 micrograms/kg) caused a similar stimulation and the mu-selective opiate antagonist naloxone prevented the stimulation by beta-endorphin and morphine. The synthetic analogue [D-Ala2,D-Leu5]-enkephalin (500 ng/kg), which is an agonist primarily at delta-opiate receptors, had no effect, further suggesting that the stimulation of duodenal HCO3- secretion is mediated by mu-receptors. Naloxone alone did not affect basal HCO3- secretion but reduced the duration of the rise in secretion in response to a 5-min exposure to luminal acid (pH 2.00). Endogenous opioid peptides may thus have a role in the humoral or neural control, or both, of duodenal surface epithelial HCO3- secretion and mucosal protection.

Gastroduodenal bicarbonate secretion in mucosal protection. Possible role of vasoactive intestinal peptide and opiates.

HCO3- secretion by surface epithelium in duodenum devoid of Brunner's glands was titrated in situ in anesthetized rats. Intravenous injection of small amounts (20 ng/kg) of the endogenous opioid peptide beta-endorphin significantly increased secretion. Naloxone prevented this effect, suggesting that stimulation is mediated by mu-opiate receptors. Morphine 50 microgram/kg had a similar stimulatory action. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) 0.5-100 microgram/kg dose-dependently increased secretion and this response was independent of simultaneous cholinergic stimulation. The HCO3- secretion maintained pH in the mucus gel adherent to the luminal surface at neutrality for long periods of time (greater than or equal to 60 min); even when the pH in the terminal bulk solution was as low as 2.0. Mucosal HCO3- secretion is thus very probably important in mucosal protection and VIP and endogenous opioid peptides may have a role in its control.

Effects of some opiates and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on duodenal surface epithelial bicarbonate secretion in the rat.

Bicarbonate secretion by 12 mm segments of duodenum just distal to the Brunner's glands area and devoid of pancreatic bicarbonate was titrated in situ in anaesthetised rats. The secretion increased significantly after intravenous injection of small amounts (20 ng/kg) of the endogenous opioid peptides beta-endorphin and methionine enkephalin and maximal (approximately twofold) stimulation occurred after 200-500 ng/kg. Morphine (50 micrograms/kg) caused a similar stimulation and the mu-opiate antagonist naloxone prevented stimulation by morphine. The synthetic analogue [D-Ala2, D-Leu5]-enkephalin (500 ng/kg) which is an agonist at delta-opiate receptors, did not affect the secretion, further suggesting that stimulation is mediated by mu-receptors. VIP (5-100 micrograms/kg) increased the secretion dose-dependently to levels considerably higher than those observed with opiates, and pretreatment with atropine or indomethacin did not affect the response to VIP. The results suggest a role of endogenous opioid peptides and VIP in the humoral and/or nervous control of duodenal surface epithelial bicarbonate secretion and mucosal protection.