Table 2.

Excitatory actions of azithromycin and erythromycin in human isolated gastric antrum

Baseline muscle contraction				Increase in neuronally mediated contraction amplitude
Drug concentration (μM)	Contraction (% baseline EFS)	Time to max (min)	Time to fade	Increase (% baseline EFS)	Time to max (min)	t½ (min)	n
Azithromycin
300	463 ± 149*	13 ± 1	15 ± 1	2007 ± 396	45 ± 6	22 ± 3	3
100	89 ± 22	20 ± 5	25 ± 3	753 ± 401	46 ± 7	40 ± 5**	5
30	5 ± 10	–	–	64 ± 27	33 ± 6	24 ± 3	4
10	−14 ± 18	–	–	6 ± 5	–	–	4
Erythromycin lactobionate
300	150 ± 76*	20 ± 12	20†	1924 ± 1375	35 ± 10	29 ± 5	3
100	87 ± 32	22 ± 4	12, 29†	1414 ± 381	47 ± 3	21, 21††	4
30	21 ± 31	–	–	31 ± 15	38, 39 ¥	–	3
10	−24 ± 20	–	–	54 ± 48	48, 68 ¥	–	3

Data are expressed as mean values ± standard error of the mean; n = number of patients.

^*Azithromycin is causes a significantly greater increase in baseline muscle tension than erythromycin lactobionate at 300 μM (P < 0.01; two-way anova plus Bonferroni post test). The rest of the parameters were not significantly different between azithromycin and erythromycin lactobionate (P > 0.05; two-way anova plus Bonferroni post test).

^**n = 4; 1 strip investigated did not fade during the experiment.

^†n = 1; 2 strips investigated did not fade during the experiment.

^††n = 2; 2 strips investigated did not fade during the experiment.

^¥n = 2, 1 strip in each did not increase during the experiment.