Fifteen healthy subjects, fasted at least 8 hr, were studied by means of an infused manometric method. Twenty minutes after termination of the natural phase III activity in the duodenum, erythromycin or normal saline was administered intravenously for 15 min. When normal saline (N = 5) was infused, the next migrating motor complex (MMC) was initiated 151.2 +/- 42.1 min after the infusion. On the other hand, when erythromycin was infused at a rate of 1.0 mg/kg/hr (N = 5) or 3.0 mg/kg/hr (N = 5), MMC-like contractions were initiated at shorter intervals, ie, 47.8 +/- 40.9 min (P less than 0.005) or 23.0 +/- 13.0 min (P less than 0.001) respectively. The duration, frequency, amplitude, and migrating velocity of the naturally occurring MMC (N-MMC) were not significantly different from those of the erythromycin-induced contractions except for the duration of the phase III contractions in the stomach; the duration (5.3 +/- 2.2 min) of the erythromycin-induced contractions being significantly (P less than 0.05) longer than that (3.2 +/- 0.9 min) of the naturally occurring MMC. The immunoreactive motilin (IRM) concentration did not increase significantly after the infusion of erythromycin, when compared to that after infusion of normal saline. It is concluded that erythromycin at a dose of 1-3 mg/kg/hr for 15 min during the interdigestive state, similar to motilin, has a significant influence upon the initiation of MMC in the human gastrointestinal tract, but further investigations are required to confirm whether endogenous motilin is involved or not.

Allergenic activities of major component proteins of soybean 11S-, 7S- and 2S-globulins were examined by the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and by RAST inhibition experiments with the sera from soybean-sensitive patients. The reactivity with specific IgE antibody was found in all fractions. There was considerable cross-reactivity among three fractions, and 2S-globulin had the highest allergen potency to inhibit the RAST against 11S-, 7S- and 2S-globulin. When the fractions were heat-treated at 80, 100 and 120 °C for 30 min, the RAST reactivity of 2S-globulin heated at 80 °C for 30 min was slightly enhanced, while that of others was reduced to 39–75% of that of the native globulin. IgE antibody could be produced in BALB/c mice only with one of the three fractions, i. e. 2S-globulin, and the produced IgE antibody lacked reactivity with 11S- and 7S-globulin.

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The aim of this study was to determine if erythromycin (EM), which is a potent motilin agonist, alters gastrointestinal motility in premature infants. Six infants who were born after 23–30 weeks gestation and weighed 825–1,408 g at birth were studied when 6–31 days old. Intraluminal pressure changes within the gastric antrum and proximal duodenum were recorded. We infused EM 0.75 mg/kg intravenously for 15 min and we compared gastric and duodenal contractions for 30 min between before and after the initiation of EM infusion. In these preterm infants the migrating complex was not present, and was not induced by EM. However, in all 6 infants EM increased nonpropagating antral clusters of contractions (p < 0.05). The antral motility index increased 4-fold (p < 0.05). We concluded that human premature infants have functioning motilin receptors.

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