Evaluation of the effects of restraint and footshock stress on small intestinal motility by an improved method using a radionuclide, 51Cr, in the rat.

The effect of two different stress stimuli, restraint stress and footshock stress, on small intestinal motility was evaluated by a more reliable method with improvement of the previous method using a radionuclide, 51Cr. The small intestinal transit was significantly inhibited by restraint stress, but not by footshock stress, although plasma corticosterone levels were significantly elevated to the same extent by restraint stress and footshock stress. These results suggest that restraint stress and footshock stress stimuli influence small intestinal motility via different mechanisms, but the reason for the difference is unclear. This experimental system using 51Cr seems to be useful for the elucidation of mechanisms for restraint stress-induced dysfunction of small intestinal motility because of its excellent quantitative evaluation of small intestinal transit.