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Articles

Prokinetic effects of diatrizoate meglumine (Gastrografin®) in a zebrafish for opioid-induced constipation model

, , ORCID Icon, , , , , , , & show all
Pages 264-271 | Received 31 Jan 2021, Accepted 27 Sep 2021, Published online: 25 Oct 2021
 

ABSTRACT

Constipation is a common disease that reduces life quality. Drugs of various mechanisms are being developed to resolve this affliction. Intestinal motility can be easily monitored in zebrafish, and so we selected this organism to develop a constipation model to measure drug-induced prokinetic effects. In this study, intestinal motility was monitored in zebrafish by tracking intestinal transit using fluorescence, after which an opioid-induced constipation model was established using loperamide. We then evaluated the prokinetic effect of diatrizoate meglumine (Gastrografin®), which has been empirically used to treat post-operative ileus or adhesive small bowel obstructions. Diatrizoate meglumine was effective in promoting bowel movements in an opioid-induced zebrafish constipation model and its prokinetic effect was associated with an increased expression of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) markers. Therefore, the loperamide-induced zebrafish constipation model developed herein is a promising tool to evaluate novel constipation therapies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government [grant number NRF-2017R1C1B5017368].