Effect of erythromycin and of octreotide on motilin receptor density in the rabbit.

Recent studies have shown that erythromycin lactobionate (EMLB) acts as a motilin agonist and is able to accelerate gastric emptying in diabetic gastroparesis. Using the rabbit as a model, we have studied the changes in motilin receptor density induced by EMLB (a motilin agonist) and octreotide (a somatostatin analogue and an inhibitor of motilin secretion). Binding studies were performed with antral smooth muscle tissue homogenates using iodinated nor-leucine13-porcine-motilin, and binding parameters were obtained from computerized fits to displacement curves. The contractile capacity towards motilin (10(-7) M) and EMLB (10(-5) M) was measured isotonically on duodenal segments and the response was expressed relative to the maximum obtained with ACh (10(-4) M). The first hours after the last i.v. administrations of EMLB (50-mg/day given on 3 consecutive days), motilin binding was completely abolished to 0.02 +/- 0.006 fmol/mg protein, compared to the control group (0.64 +/- 0.12 fmol/mg protein). The effect was dose-related: total doses of 17.5 mg, 87.5 mg, 175 mg EMLB reduced motilin binding and contractility towards motilin and EMLB to respectively 95 +/- 10, 82 +/- 5%; 36 +/- 9, 38 +/- 9%; 3 +/- 1, 24 +/- 2% of the control values. The effect was also long lasting: binding was still reduced to 60% of the control value 48 h after the highest dose. In contrast, octreotide induced a marked but short lasting upregulation. After 3 daily s.c. injections of 5-mu-g, B(max) rose to 13.6 +/- 1.9 fmol/mg protein (P < 0.05). It was already obtained 1 h after 3 x 2.5-mu-g/24 h. The changes in receptor-density were not related to changes in affinity. We conclude that motilin receptors can be regulated by EMLB and octreotide presumably because one compound mimicks hypermotilinemia, the other one induces hypomotilinemia.