Roles of prostaglandin E2-EP1 receptor signaling in regulation of gastric motor activity and emptying

It is widely accepted that the inhibition of gastric motor activity as well as the maintenance of gastric mucosal blood flow and mucous secretion are important for the homeostasis of the gastric mucosa. The present study was performed to ascertain whether or not endogenous PGs, which can protect the stomach from noxious stimuli, affect gastric motor activity and emptying. The myoelectrical activity of rat gastric smooth muscle was increased at intragastric pressures of over 2 cmH2O. Replacement of intragastric physiological saline with 1 M NaCl solution significantly increased PGI2 and PGE2 in stomach and suppressed the myoelectrical activity under a pressure of 2 cmH2O by 70%. Indomethacin inhibited the suppression of myoelectrical activity by 1 M NaCl. The myoelectrical activity under a pressure of 2 cmH2O was suppressed by continuous infusion of a selective EP1 agonist (ONO-DI-004, 3–100 nmol·kg−1·min−1) into the gastric artery in a dose-dependent manner, but not by that of the PGI receptor agonist ber...