The effects of ABT-229 and octreotide on interdigestive small bowel motility, bacterial overgrowth and bacterial translocation in rats

Background Interdigestive small bowel motility has a regulatory function on the microflora of the upper small bowel. Here we investigate the effects of ABT‐229 and octreotide on morphine‐induced dysmotility, the accompanying bacterial overgrowth and bacterial translocation. Methods Rats were fitted with jejunal myoelectrodes and a subcutaneous cannula for continuous infusion of saline or morphine. Fasting motility was measured for 6 h on four occasions: one control measurement (day 0) and three measurements on consecutive days (days 1–3) while receiving saline alone (group A), morphine alone (group B), saline + ABT‐229 (group C), morphine + ABT‐229 (group D), saline + octreotide (group E) or morphine + octreotide (group F). Samples from the mesenteric lymph node complex (MLN), liver, spleen, duodenum and ileum were taken for quantitative microbial culturing on day 4. Results Neither ABT‐229 nor octreotide increased the number of propagated activity fronts during saline infusion. During morphine‐induced dysmotility, ABT‐229 induced more propagated activity fronts in group D (13.4, 9.8 and 8.8 per 6 h) than in group B (7.0, 4.5, 3.8 per 6 h) on days 1, 2 and 3 (P