BACKGROUND: There is evidence that nitric oxide plays a role in the decrease in gastric emptying induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide. AIM: To evaluate the effect of pretreatment with Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester, one competitive inhibitor of the nitric oxide syntases, on the gastric emptying delay induced by lipopolysaccharide. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male Wistar rats, SPF, were used after 24 h fast and 1 h-water withdrawn. The pretreatment was done intravenously with vehicle (saline) or Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester in the doses of 0.5, 1, 2.5 e 5 mg/kg. After 10 min, the animals were treated iv with lipopolysaccharide (50 mg/kg) or received vehicle (saline). The gastric emptying was evaluated 1 h after the lipopolysaccharide administration. A saline solution containing phenol red was used as the test meal. The gastric emptying was indirectly assessed by the determination of percent gastric retention of the test meal 10 min after orogastric administration. RESULTS: The animals pretreated with vehicle and treatment with lipopolysaccharide have significant rise of the gastric retention (average = 57%) in comparison with the controls receiving only vehicle (38.1%). The pretreatment with the different doses of Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester did not modify per se the gastric retention in comparison with the animals pretreated with vehicle. Pretreatment with Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester with the dose of 1 mg/kg determined a discrete but significant reduction in the gastric retention (52%) of animals treated with lipopolysaccharide in comparison with vehicle-pretreated rats. Paradoxically, animals pretreated with 2.5 or 5 mg of Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester/kg followed by treatment with lipopolysaccharide displayed a significantly higher gastric retention (74.7% and 80.5%, respectively) as compared to their controls, pretreated with the same doses of the inhibitor and treated with vehicle (40.5% and 38.7%, respectively) and to those pretreated with vehicle and treated with the same toxin. CONCLUSION: The pretreatment with Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester at low dose (1 mg/kg) resulted in a discrete inhibition of the gastric emptying delay induced by lipopolysaccharide. Nevertheless, Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl to ester at higher doses (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) induced an enhancement of the lipopolysaccharide effect on gastric emptying, despite not interfering with the gastric emptying per se.
Gastric emptying; Lipopolysaccharides; Nitric oxide synthase; Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester L-NAME; Rats
