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

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.