Twenty-four hour gastric pH monitoring and blood gastrin concentrations in fasted ponies.

This research article delves into how gastric pH levels can fluctuously vary during a 24-hour period in fasted ponies, particularly noting several episodes of spontaneous alkalinisation (SA). The study also suggests there is no direct correlation between gastric pH levels and plasma gastrin concentrations in the ponies’ blood.

Investigation of Gastric pH Variation in Fasted Ponies

• The study scrutinizes the gastric pH levels among eight fasted ponies over a 24-hour period. The ponies were kept without food to investigate how their bodies react to fasting, specifically how it affects the acidity in their stomachs.
• It was found that the gastric pH levels varied widely among the ponies, with seven out of eight ponies showing episodes of spontaneous alkalinisation.
• Spontaneous alkalinisation refers to the sudden increase in the pH level, making the pony’s stomach more alkaline than average. These episodes occurred at all times of the day and night, indicating no specific pattern.
• Summary measures of pH including median pH, mean pH, and the percentage of readings above pH 4.0 showed no significant variation among the intervals 0 to eight hours, eight to 16 hours, and 16 to 24 hours.
• The occurrence of spontaneous alkalinisation gives profound implications on conduct of acid secretory studies in fasted ponies, as it adds another variable that researchers must account for.

Lack of Correlation Between Gastric pH and Plasma Gastrin Concentration

• An important aspect of the research was analyzing the correlation between the ponies’ gastric pH levels and their plasma gastrin concentration. Gastrin is a hormone known for stimulating the production of gastric acid, which lowers pH levels.
• The study found no significant correlation between pH and plasma gastrin concentrations. The concentrations of gastrin in the ponies’ blood were measured using a commercially available radioimmunoassay kit validated for use in horses.
• This finding suggests that the occurrence of spontaneous alkalinisation does not depend on plasma gastrin, and inversely, the plasma gastrin does not rely on variable pH associated with spontaneous alkalinisation.