Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) increases post‐prandial duodenal motor activity in humans

Abstract

Abstract The effects of peripherally administered Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) on post‐prandial gastrointestinal motility were studied in normal subjects. Pressure activity was monitored for 90 min pre‐and 120 min post‐prandially in the antrum and duodenum in 8 healthy male volunteers (mean age 45.5 years). Subjects received, on separate days, ovine CRF (0.6 nmol/kg) or vehicle, infused intravenously over 5 min, 15 min after the beginning of the meal. In all subjects, CRF infusion transiently increased the frequency of contractile events to the frequency of the duodenal slow wave (11.7 ± 0.3 cpm). The postprandial duodenal mobility index (MI) after CRF infusion was significantly greater (7.72 ± 0.29) when compared to vehicle infusion (4.34 ± 0.14) (mean ± SEM; P < 0.001). However, the fraction of propagated contractile events was not altered significantly after CRF when compared to vehicle. In contrast, the antral post‐prandial MI was not affected by the CRF application. Serum cortisol levels increased significantly at 60 and 90 min post‐CRF injection. These data indicate that CRF transiently switches the post‐prandial duodenal motor activity to a band of non‐propagated high frequency contractions, but does not affect antral contractions.