Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) increases post-prandial duodenal motor activity in humans

The effects of peripherally administered Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) on post-prandial gastrointestinal motility were studied in normal subjects. Pressure activity was monitored for 90 min pre-and 120 min post-prandially in the antrum and duodenum in 8 healthy male volunteers (mean age 45.5 years). Subjects received, on separate days, ovine CRF (0.6 nmol/kg) or vehicle, infused intravenously over 5 min, 15 min after the beginning of the meal. In all subjects, CRF infusion transiently increased the frequency of contractile events to the frequency of the duodenal slow wave (11.7 ± 0.3 cpm). The postprandial duodenal mobility index (MI) after CRF infusion was significantly greater (7.72 ± 0.29) when compared to vehicle infusion (4.34 ± 0.14) (mean ± SEM; P < 0.001). However, the fraction of propagated contractile events was not altered significantly after CRF when compared to vehicle. In contrast, the antral post-prandial MI was not affected by the CRF application. Serum cortisol levels increased significantly at 60 and 90 min post-CRF injection. These data indicate that CRF transiently switches the post-prandial duodenal motor activity to a band of non-propagated high frequency contractions, but does not affect antral contractions.