COX inhibition excites enteric nerves that affect motility, alkaline secretion, and permeability in rat duodenum.

In anesthetized rats, the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin induces duodenal motility, increases duodenal mucosal alkaline secretion (DMAS), and evokes a transient increase in duodenal paracellular permeability (DPP). To examine whether enteric nerves influence these responses, the duodenum was perfused with lidocaine. Motility was assessed by measuring intraluminal pressure, and DPP was determined as blood-to-lumen clearance of (51)Cr-EDTA. DMAS was assessed by titration. In control animals, few contractions occurred during saline perfusion and lidocaine did not alter this condition. Perfusion with 0.03-0.1% lidocaine did not affect DMAS or DPP whereas 0.3-1% lidocaine reduced DMAS and increased DPP. Indomethacin induced motility and doubled DMAS. Application of 0.03% lidocaine on the duodenal serosa reduced motility and DMAS whereas 0.03% lidocaine applied luminally inhibited DMAS only. Higher concentrations of lidocaine abolished the increase in DMAS and changed the motility pattern to numerous low-amplitude contractions, the latter effect being blocked by iloprost. The lidocaine-induced increases in DPP were markedly higher than in controls. We conclude that indomethacin activates enteric nerves that induce motility, increase DMAS, and decrease DPP.