Gastric emptying

Gastric emptying refers to the regulated physiological process by which food leaves the stomach and enters the duodenum. This complex event involves coordinated muscular contractions—tonic contractions in the proximal stomach for liquids and peristaltic waves in the distal stomach for solids—under neural control from both central autonomic pathways and local enteric circuits. The rate is finely tuned by hormonal signals including ghrelin (which accelerates) and glucagon-like peptide‑1/GLP‑1 plus cholecystokinin/CCK plus peptide YY/PYY (which inhibit), ensuring optimal digestion and absorption while preventing overloading of intestinal capacity. Disturbances in this regulation are implicated in various diseases including gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia, diabetes mellitus complications, inflammatory bowel disease flares, among others. While many drugs influence this process therapeutically or as side effects—by targeting upstream molecules like dopamine receptors or gut hormones—“gastric emptying” itself is not a canonical drug target but rather an outcome measure reflecting integrated gastrointestinal function.

Other names

Gastric motility (sometimes used interchangeably, but not identical)Stomach emptyingRate of gastric emptying

Drugs affect gastric emptying by: - Stimulating or inhibiting neural pathways controlling stomach muscle contractions - Modulating gastrointestinal hormone release such as ghrelin and GLP‑1 which respectively stimulate and inhibit the rate of stomach content transfer to the duodenum - Acting on dopamine receptors or serotonin receptors in enteric neurons to enhance peristalsis