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Tegaserod, a 5‐HT 4 receptor partial agonist, accelerates gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit in healthy male subjects
Author(s) -
Degen L.,
Matzinger D.,
Merz M.,
AppelDingemanse S.,
Osborne S.,
Lüchinger S.,
Bertold R.,
Maecke H.,
Beglinger C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2036.2001.01103.x
Subject(s) - tegaserod , gastric emptying , medicine , placebo , gastroenterology , agonist , gastrointestinal tract , oral administration , crossover study , partial agonist , stomach , receptor , irritable bowel syndrome , pathology , alternative medicine
Background: Serotonin and its type‐4 (5‐hydroxytryptamine 4 ) receptor play a major role in the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract. The effect of intravenous and/or oral tegaserod, a 5‐hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor partial agonist, on gastric emptying, small bowel transit and colonic transit has not been studied in detail in humans. Aim: To assess the pharmacodynamic effects of repeated oral and intravenous administration of tegaserod on gastric emptying and small intestine and colonic transit. Methods: A randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, three‐way, crossover study of 6 mg oral and 0.6 mg intravenous tegaserod in 12 healthy male subjects was performed. Each treatment arm of the study involved 3 days of twice‐daily administration and 1 day of daily administration of the study drugs. Results: In comparison with placebo, oral and intravenous tegaserod significantly increased the gastric emptying rate ( P < 0.01), accelerated colonic filling ( P < 0.01) and shortened colonic transit at 48 h ( P < 0.05). Tegaserod shortened the small intestine transit time by 30% after oral and by 37% after intravenous administration. Conclusions: In healthy subjects, tegaserod markedly accelerated gastric emptying and small intestinal transit, and induced a small but significant acceleration of colonic transit. Tegaserod can act as a promotile agent throughout the gastrointestinal tract.