Chronic nicotine intake increases the responses to muscarinic receptor stimulation

Chronic nicotine administration depresses the autonomic ganglia, but its effects on the muscarinic receptors at the neuroeffector sites remain unclear. The present study, using rats, examines the influence of chronic treatment with nicotine (25 micrograms/ml drinking water) for 10 or 15 days on muscarinic receptor responses, as reflected by bethanechol-evoked gastric secretion or by acetylcholine-induced decreases in mean blood pressure. Bethanechol, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6 or 3.2 mg/kg injected subcutaneously, dose-dependently increased the basal gastric secretory volume and acid output in pylorus-ligated control animals which normally drank tap water. Rats given nicotine in their drinking water for 10 or 15 days showed a further marked increase in both the volume of gastric secretion and acid output in response to bethanechol injections. Although bethanechol dose-dependently increased acid secretion, the ulcer index was very small and there was no significant difference between the control and nicotine-treated groups. The basal mean blood pressure remained normal after the 10-day nicotine treatment. Acetylcholine, 0.1, 0.3, 1 or 3 micrograms/kg given intravenously, decreased the mean blood pressure; this acetylcholine-evoked blood pressure fall was intensified by nicotine pretreatment. The findings suggest that the responses to muscarinic receptor stimulation are increased by chronic nicotine treatment for 10 or 15 days. These exaggerated effects are possibly the consequence of persistent autonomic ganglion blockade by chronic nicotine treatment.

The role of the vagus nerve in the protective action of acid inhibitors on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats

The role of vagus in the actions of different acid inhibitors on ethanol-induced gastric damage and mucosal blood flow (GMBF) changes was studied in anaesthetized rats, using an ex vivo stomach chamber preparation. Subdiaphragmatic bilateral vagotomy decreased the basal gastric acid secretion and GMBF; it also intensified ethanol-evoked lesions in the glandular mucosa. Misoprostol, omeprazole and cimetidine produced a similar degree of reduction in acid output. Misoprostol given subcutaneously (s.c.) (50 micrograms/kg), or added to the incubation solution (12.5 micrograms) for 15 min, markedly prevented ethanol-induced lesion formation and reduction in GMBF. The reversing effect of s.c. injection of misoprostol on either lesion formation or on GMBF reduction was attenuated by vagotomy. Omeprazole protected against lesion formation only when present in the incubation solution (12.5 mg) of ex vivo chamber preparations of both vagus-intact and vagotomized animals, but the effect was significantly less in the latter group. The drug also prevented the depressive action of ethanol in vagus-intact animals. Cimetidine pretreatment (50 mg s.c. or 12.5 mg in incubation solution), however, did not modify the effects of ethanol on lesion formation and the GMBF. The findings indicate that the three different types of acid inhibitors exert different actions on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage, although they produced similar inhibition of acid output. Vagotomy lowers the GMBF and attenuates the antiulcer action of misoprostol and omeprazole, especially when the drugs are given by the parenteral route.

Role of peptido-leukotrienes in the genesis of early ventricular arrhythmias during acute myocardial ischaemia in rats

Changes in cardiac ventricular concentrations of peptidoleukotrienes (peptido-LTs) following coronary artery ligation and the effects of lipoxygenase inhibition and leukotriene antagonism on the cardiovascular responses to acute myocardial ischaemia were studied in pentobarbitone-anaesthetised rats. It was found that the left ventricular peptido-LT levels significantly increased at 2.5 and 5 min after left coronary artery ligation while the changes in right ventricle were not statistically significant. Pretreatment with nordihydroguaiaretic acid 25, 50 or 100 mg/kg caused marked depletion of ventricular peptido-LT content, but did not significantly prevent the blood pressure or heart rate changes, the occurrence of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, or the mortality of the animals following coronary artery ligation. Administration of SK&F 102922, even at doses which caused marked decreases in blood pressure and heart rate, also did not significantly alter the cardiovascular changes and the mortality rate induced by left coronary artery ligation. It is, therefore, suggested that the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias and haemodynamic changes during the early phase of acute myocardial ischaemia may not be due to the augmented synthesis of peptido-LTs in cardiac tissue.

Time course study on the action of 5-hydroxytryptamine on gastric secretion and mucosal blood flow and on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats

The effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; given i.p. in doses of 1 or 10 mg/kg) on gastric secretion and mucosal blood flow (GMBF) and on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage were studied in rats over a period of 30-450 min. The blood pressure was also examined, in relation to the changes in GMBF. 5-HT, 10 mg/kg, given 30 min before ethanol administration markedly worsened lesion formation and this potentiating action was present for a further 90 min; a significant protective effect was seen only at 450 min after 5-HT injection. The lower dose of 5-HT, 1 mg/kg, did not affect the severity of gastric damage. 5-HT (10 mg/kg) also decreased GMBF at 30 min after injection and this lasted up to the end of 120 min, but the depressive action of ethanol on GMBF was reversed at 450 min. The basal gastric secretory volume was depressed from 30 to 120 min but acid output fell from 75 to 120 min after the higher dose of 5-HT; this reduction of acid secretion was followed by an increase from 360 to 450 min. 5-HT decreased the mean blood pressure in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The heart rate was unaffected by either dose level of 5-HT. The present study not only demonstrates the ulcerogenic action of 5-HT but also the protective nature of the amine. The reduction in secretory volume and lesion formation, but not acid secretion, seems to be related to GMBF depression, whereas the protective action depends on the maintenance of GMBF.

5-Hydroxytryptamine3-receptor blockade protects against gastric mucosal damage in rats

Ondansetron, a specific 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3)-blocker, injected s.c. (0.038, 0.075, 0.15 or 0.3 mg/kg) every 12 h with the fourth dose given 0.5 h before restraint at 4 degrees C (stress) or oral administration (p.o.) of 1 ml 80% ethanol, dose-dependently prevented gastric mucosal damage in female Sprague-Dawley rats (160-180 g); the animals were killed 2 or 1 h after stress or ethanol p.o., respectively. A similar pretreatment regimen with cyproheptadine (0.1, 0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg) or ketanserin (15, 30, or 75 micrograms/kg), both being 5HT2-receptor antagonists, also dose-dependently lowered the severity of stress- or ethanol-induced mucosal lesions. Only the higher doses of phenobarbitone (25 or 50 mg/kg given s.c. in a single dose 0.5 h beforehand) inhibited stress-induced gastric ulcers; however, even the lowest non-antinuclear dose (12.5 mg/kg), effectively produced CNS depression. These preliminary findings suggest that 5HT3-receptor blockade not only can antagonise stress- or ethanol-evoked gastric mucosal damage, but also may act through a peripheral mechanism.

Ethacrynic acid and sulphasalazine inhibit the generation of leukotriene C4 in rat stomachs: a possible gastric anti-ulcer mechanism in cold-restraint-stressed rats

The role of gastric glandular mucosal leukotriene C4 in gastric ulceration, produced by restraint at 4 degrees C (stress) for 2 h in rats, was studied in relation to the ulcer-preventing effects of ethacrynic acid, sulphasalazine and its constituents (sulphapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid), AA-861 and ONO-1078. Stress itself significantly raised mucosal leukotriene C4 levels; pretreatment with ethacrynic acid, sulphasalazine, sulphapyridine or AA-861 antagonised these changes and reduced the severity of gastric ulceration. Mucosal mast cell degranulation was prevented by ethacrynic acid, sulphasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, AA-861 or ONO-1078; the mucus-depleting effect of stress was also reversed by all these drugs, except for 5-aminosalicylic acid. The anti-ulcer effect of ethacrynic acid and sulphasalazine appears to be related to their influence on glandular mucosal leukotriene C4 levels.

The pharmacological differences and similarities between stress- and ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage

Stress- and ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage are the two commonly used ulcer models in animals. They share some of the similarities but also have differences in the etiology of gastric ulceration. This article reviews the influences of various protective drugs on these two types of gastric damage in rats. Verapamil (a calcium antagonist) or N-ethylmaleimide (a sulfhydryl depletor) prevents cold restraint-, but potentiates ethanol-provoked gastric lesion formation. N-Acetylcysteine (a mucolytic agent) and acetaminophen (an antipyretic analgesic) have the opposite actions. Prostaglandins provide a much better antiulcer effect on ethanol-induced lesions. Cimetidine (a histamine H2-receptor antagonist) prevents only stress-induced mucosal damage. These differences in drug actions indicate that stress and ethanol may have dissimilar ulcerogenic mechanisms in rats. On the other hand, carbenoxolone (a mucus inducer), histamine H1-receptor antagonists, leukotriene inhibitors (FPL 55712 and nordihydroguaiaretic acid) and mast cell stabilizers (like zinc compounds, sodium cromoglycate, FPL 52694 and ketotifen), all protect against gastric mucosal damage by stress or ethanol in rats. However, the role of gastric sulfhydryls in both types of gastric lesions is still controversial. These findings imply that the two types of lesion formation share some of the ulcerogenic mechanisms. This communication attempts to analyze the various findings and to relate them to the etiology of stress and ethanol-induced gastric lesions. It also summarizes the uses, and the antiulcer mechanisms, of the drugs that have been studied utilizing these two animal ulcer models, and suggests their possible implications in man.

Adrenalectomy, but not vagotomy, reverses the worsening effect of Ca2+ blockers on ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats

This study examines the influence of the adrenals and of the vagus nerve on the lesion-worsening action of nitrendipine or verapamil on 75% ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. Bilateral adrenalectomy antagonized ethanol lesion aggravation by nitrendipine or verapamil; instead, dose-related lesion reduction was seen. Dexamethasone treatment of adrenalectomized rats restored the lesion-enhancing effects of both Ca2+ channel blockers. Bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy failed to abolish the adverse action of nitrendipine or verapamil on ethanol lesions. The findings suggest that the adrenal corticoids modulate the worsening effect of Ca2+ channel antagonists on ethanol-induced gastric damage; when the influence of the adrenal steroids is removed, these compounds become gastroprotective.

The role of the gastric mucosal sulfhydryls in the ulcer-protecting effects of sulphasalazine

The role of gastric mucosal sulfhydryls in gastric ulceration, produced by restraint at 4 degrees C (stress) for 2 h, and in the ulcer-protecting effects of sulphasalazine and its constituents (sulphapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid), have been studied in rats. Stress significantly raised the mucosal sulphydryl content, but sulphasalazine and sulphapyridine did not influence these changes; only 5-aminosalicylic acid decreased the mucosal sulphydryl concentration. These results indicate that depletion of mucosal sulfhydryls does not occur in stress-induced ulceration, in contrast to what has been shown in other experimental ulcer models. The antiulcer effects of sulphasalazine or of any of its constituents may, therefore, not involve the sulphydryl mechanism.

In-vivo and in-vitro studies on the effects of chronic dexamethasone treatment on cardiovascular responses to sympathetic stimulation

Rats treated with dexamethasone, 1.5 mg/kg s.c. weekly for 3 weeks exhibited significantly greater increases in mean arterial pressure than their controls, following either sympathetic nerve stimulation or noradrenaline administration. The atria from dexamethasone-treated rats showed greater chronotropic activity in response to noradrenaline but not to field stimulation, whereas the force of contraction was significantly less than that of the controls after either field or noradrenaline stimulation. Isolated rat tail artery preparations from dexamethasone-treated rats were found to be twice more sensitive to noradrenaline than the controls. Prazosin antagonised the noradrenaline-induced pressor response to the same extent in control and dexamethasone-treated rats. Dexamethasone treatment did not significantly increase the sensitivity to KCl or the angiotensin-potentiated pressor response to noradrenaline. This study shows that dexamethasone treatment increases postsynaptic sensitivity of the cardiovascular system to noradrenaline in rats.

Thromboxane-mimetic U46619 causes depressor responses in anaesthetized rats

Intravenous (i.v.) or intra-arterial injections of U46619, a thromboxane A2 (TxA2)-mimetic agent, into chloralose-anaesthetized rats dose-dependently decreased the arterial blood pressure. Indomethacin (8 mg kg-1) or atropine (1 mg kg-1), given i.v. 30 min beforehand, attenuated the hypotensive effect of U46619 i.v. whereas methysergide pretreatment (5 mg kg-1 i.v.) was without action. Pretreatment with AH23848 (5 mg kg-1 i.v.), a specific TxA2-receptor antagonist, completely abolished the depressor responses to U46619. The findings suggest that the vasodepressor effect of U46619 appears to be mediated via TxA2-receptor activation, with the release of prostacyclin and/or acetylcholine both of which produce vasodilatation.

Chronic nicotine treatment intensifies gastric ulceration by cold-restraint stress in rats

Nicotine 5, 25 or 50 micrograms/ml drinking water given ad lib for 5, 10 or 20 days, dose- and time-dependently worsened cold-restraint-induced (stress) ulceration in rat stomachs. Treatment with nicotine 5 or 25 micrograms/ml did not influence the number of gastric mucosal mast cells degranulated by cold and restraint; however, drinking 50 micrograms/ml for 10 days lowered further the mast cell count in stressed animals. During 20-day nicotine administration, the daily food intake and body weight gain, up to the 18th day when the animals were starved before experiments, were not affected by the three concentrations of the alkaloid, except that fluid consumption tended to be less only in those animals given the highest dose. The findings indicate that chronic nicotine treatment exacerbates the severity of stress-evoked ulcer formation. The ulcer-intensifying mechanism of the two lower doses of nicotine appears not to be related to additional mast cell degranulation; only the ulcerogenic action of the highest concentration includes this factor. It is unlikely that ulcer aggravation by nicotine is due to malnutrition because body weight gain and solid food intake by the alkaloid-treated rats were normal.

N-ethylmaleimide antagonizes stress-induced gastric ulcers in rats

N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) 10 or 25 mg/kg b.wt, given s.c. 20 min beforehand, dose-dependently and significantly antagonizes the severity of gastric glandular ulcers produced by restraint at 4 degrees C (stress) for 2 h. These findings suggest that reduced activity of endogenous nonprotein sulfhydryl substances in gastric tissue does not worsen stress-induced ulceration in rat stomachs, unlike the deleterious effect its depletion is claimed to have on ethanol-evoked gastric mucosal damage. Thus, decreased SH activity appears not to play a role in the aetiology of mucosal ulcers due to stress.

Calcium and ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats

The effects of graded doses of ethanol on stomach mucosal damage and calcium levels were studied in rats. The influence of verapamil and/or calcium chloride on these changes was also investigated. Orally administered ethanol (20, 50 or 80% v/v) markedly decreased gastric glandular tissue calcium and it concentration dependently produced mucosal lesions. Pretreatment with verapamil (2.5 or 5 mg/kg, i.p.) dose dependently lessened glandular wall calcium levels and worsened ethanol-induced mucosal damage. Calcium chloride (50 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly prevented ethanol-induced gastric calcium depletion; it also dose dependently antagonized the damaging effect of ethanol as well as the lesion-intensifying action of verapamil. The findings that verapamil potentiated, whereas calcium chloride prevented, ethanol-induced glandular mucosal damage and tissue calcium changes indeed suggest that altered gastric cell calcium levels could be closely related to the mucosal lesions produced by ethanol in rats.

Cholinoceptor blockers protect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats

The role of the cholinergic nervous system in ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage has been examined in rats. Oral administration of 50 or 80% ethanol produced haemorrhagic lesions which were reduced by atropine pretreatment (0.65, 2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg injected i.p.); there was lesser protection against the higher dose of ethanol. Pirenzepine (a specific M1 receptor antagonist) pretreatment (0.1, 0.2, 1 or 2 mg/kg, injected s.c.) also protected against ethanol-induced gastric injury to a similar extent; it also increased the amount of adherent mucus on the glandular mucosa. This action may, therefore, account for the protective action of the ganglion blocker. It is concluded that ethanol may stimulate the stomach wall ganglionic nicotinic receptors to activate the postganglionic fibres and subsequently the muscarinic receptors which would then trigger off some of the ulcerogenic mechanisms in the stomach. However, ethanol could also produce gastric damage via the non-cholinergic mechanisms; this action becomes more prominent in gastric injury produced by high doses of ethanol.

The membrane-stabilizing action of zinc carnosine (Z-103) in stress-induced gastric ulceration in rats

Zinc compounds have been shown to antagonize various types of gastric ulceration in rats. Zinc carnosine (Z-103), a newly developed agent was, therefore, examined for its antiulcer effect in stress-induced ulceration and also its membrane stabilizing action in rat stomachs. Cold-restraint (restrained at 4 degrees C for 2 h) stress induced severe hemorrhagic lesions together with increased mast cell degranulation and beta-glucuronidase release in the gastric glandular mucosa. Z-103 pretreatment with a single oral dose (3, 10 or 30 mg/kg) reversed these actions in a dose-dependent manner. When the compound was incubated in concentrations of 10(-7, 10(-6), 10(-5) or 10(-4) M, with isolated hepatic lysosomes, it significantly reduced the spontaneous release of beta-glucuronidase in the medium. The present study not only demonstrates the antiulcer effect of Z-103 but also indicates that the protective action is likely to be mediated by its membrane-stabilizing action on mast cells and lysosomes in the gastric glandular mucosa.

Chronic nicotine treatment enhances the depressor responses to arachidonic acid in the rat

The depressor responses to intravenous injections of arachidonic acid, prostacyclin (PGI2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and sodium nitroprusside were studied in chronically nicotine-treated rats. Arachidonic acid, PGI2, PGE2 and sodium nitroprusside decreased the diastolic blood pressure dose-dependently in the control animals. The vasodepressor effect of arachidonic acid was significantly enhanced in rats given nicotine 5 and 25 micrograms/ml in their drinking water for 10 days but remained unchanged in the animals treated with 1 microgram/ml nicotine for 10 days or given 1 mg/kg i.v. nicotine 10 min before administration of arachidonic acid. Indometacin abolished arachidonic-acid-induced depressor responses in both the control and nicotine-treated rats. Hypotension induced by PGI2, PGE2 and sodium nitroprusside was of similar magnitude in the control and nicotine-treated animals. It is suggested that the enhancement by chronic nicotine treatment of depressor responses to arachidonic acid could be due to changes in the formation and/or removal of its vaso-active metabolites (i.e. prostacyclin and/or thromboxane A2).

Modulatory action of adenosine on gastric function and ethanol-induced mucosal damage in rats

This study examines the gastric effects of adenosine and its antagonist, theophylline, on secretory function, mucosal blood flow, and on ethanol-induced glandular mucosal damage in rats that were fasted for 24 hr before experimentation. The animals were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbitone (50 mg/kg intraperitoneal) and their tracheae cannulated. An ex vivo stomach chamber then was prepared. The luminal bathing solution was collected every 15 min and the concentrations of H+ and Na+ were determined by a pH autotitrator and an ionmeter, respectively. The glandular mucosal blood flow was measured by a laser Doppler flowmeter and the severity of lesions was determined by measuring the hemorrhagic areas. Adenosine administration (2.5 or 7.5 mg/kg, subcutaneous) markedly lowered the H+ and Na+ output but increased the secretory volume and mucosal blood flow in a dose-dependent manner. The same doses of the nucleoside also prevented ethanol-induced mucosal damage. These effects were prevented by pretreatment with theophylline (30 or 60 mg/kg, subcutaneous). Ethanol given alone significantly depressed the H+ and Na+ secretion. Both effects were not modified by adenosine treatment. However, the depressive action of ethanol on mucosal blood flow was prevented by adenosine. These findings indicate that adenosine modulates the physiological function of the stomach. It also directly activates the defensive mechanism of the stomach, which is partially mediated by the improvement of the gastric mucosal blood flow and an increase in the nonacid component of gastric secretion.

Dissociation between the renal and blood acid-base actions of acetazolamide in restraint-stressed rats

Subcutaneous injection of acetazolamide (50 or 200 mg/kg) markedly increased the blood H+ and lowered the HCO3- concentrations in a dose-related manner. The urinary pH and HCO3- excretion were elevated. Restraint stress normalized the blood HCO3- levels but not the H+ concentrations; the high levels of urinary pH and the HCO3- content were unaffected in the acetazolamide-treated animals. These findings suggest that acetazolamide induces metabolic acidosis which appears not to be caused by depletion of blood HCO3- through increased urinary HCO3- excretion. Instead, an extra-renal mechanism could be responsible for the increased blood H+ concentration. Restraint stress significantly decreased the respiratory rate, which was prevented by acetazolamide pretreatment. The reversal of restraint-stress-induced respiratory depression by acetazolamide is probably due to the activation of both peripheral and medullary chemoreceptor sites by acidosis.

Paracetamol potentiates stress-induced gastric ulceration in rats

The effect of paracetamol on gastric ulcers produced by restraint at 4 degrees C for 2 h (stress) was studied in rats. Paracetamol treatment s.c. or p.o., with a dose as high as 250 mg kg-1, did not produce any haemorrhagic lesions in the glandular mucosa. Oral administration with 250 mg kg-1, however, significantly reduced the mast cell count in the gastric glandular mucosa and potentiated haemorrhagic ulceration but not mast cell degranulation caused by stress. The potentiating action was maximum when paracetamol was given between 15 and 30 min before stress. Ranitidine, astemizole, dimethylsulphoxide, sucralfate and verapamil did not protect against the adverse action of paracetamol on stress-evoked lesions. This study suggests that paracetamol worsens stress-induced stomach ulceration by an action which appears not to be due to histamine release, free radical production or intracellular calcium disturbance in the gastric mucosa.

Ventricular histamine concentrations and mast cell counts in the rat heart during acute ischaemia

The ventricular histamine concentrations and mast cell counts of naive and disodium cromoglycate-treated rats subjected to acute left coronary artery ligation under pentobarbitone anaesthesia were examined. In naive animals, there was a significant increase in the right ventricular histamine level at 2 min following left coronary artery ligation. Left ventricular histamine concentrations tended to decrease, and were significantly lower than those of the right ventricle at 5 min. However there were no significant changes in mast cell counts of the right or left ventricles after left coronary artery ligation. Treatment with disodium cromoglycate did not significantly alter the ventricular mast cell counts, interfere with the changes in ventricular histamine concentrations, or the occurrence of early ventricular arrhythmias and haemodynamic changes in response to acute left coronary artery ligation. It is suggested that the increase in the right and decrease in the left ventricular histamine concentrations during acute myocardial ischaemia involves mainly the non-mast cell stores, instead of mast cell sources, of cardiac histamine.

Changes in preganglionic sympathetic nerve function following chronic morphine treatment in rats

1. The effects of acute or chronic morphine treatment on the changes in blood pressure and pulse rate in response to ganglionic stimulation or blockade and to vagal stimulation, and of isolated atria to field stimulation or noradrenaline, were studied. 2. In pithed rats, intravenously injected hexamethonium significantly depressed the blood pressure responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation. The ganglionic blocking effects of hexamethonium were significantly greater in chronically morphine-treated rats, but were not significantly affected by acute morphine administration in naive animals. 3. Intravenous administration of nicotine dose-dependently increased blood pressure and pulse rate. The magnitudes of these changes were not significantly affected by acute or chronic morphine pretreatment. 4. Studies with rat isolated atrial preparations revealed that the changes in atrial contractile rate and force in response to noradrenaline or field stimulation were not influenced by either acute or chronic morphine treatment. 5. Cervical vagal stimulation produced voltage- or frequency-dependent decreases in pulse rate and blood pressure. The responses were not significantly affected by chronic morphine treatment. 6. These findings suggest that the site of the changes in sympathetic function following prolonged exposure to the opiate appears to be on the preganglionic nerve fibres.

The role of serotonin in ethanol-induced gastric glandular damage in rats

The effects of serotonin (5-HT) or methysergide (a 5-HT antagonist), given intraperitoneally 30 min beforehand, on ethanol-induced mucosal injury and mucosal blood flow were studied in rats. 5-HT itself dose dependently decreased the gastric mucosal mucus content and induced gastric damage in conscious animals. It also worsened ethanol-induced lesion formation but not mucus depletion. Methysergide pretreatment only prevented the former action. In the ex vivo chamber preparation, 5-HT lowered the gastric mucosal blood flow and produced mucosal damage in unconscious animals. It also potentiated ethanol-induced gastric injury and 5-HT release. Methysergide significantly prevented lesion formation and 5-HT release in ethanol-treated rats. Ethanol decreased the gastric mucosal blood flow in the mucosa which had been preincubated with HCl. This depression of gastric mucosal blood flow was further reduced by 5-HT, but was reversed by methysergide. The lesion-potentiating or -protecting actions of 5-HT or methysergide, respectively, suggest that the amine is involved in gastric mucosal damage by ethanol in rats.

Inhibition of stress-induced gastric ulcers by sulphasalazine and its constituents (sulphapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid) in rats

The effects of sulphasalazine and of its major constituents, sulphapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), on gastric ulceration as well as on changes in mast cell counts and mucus levels in the glandular mucosa were examined in restrained rats exposed to 4 degrees C (stress) for 2 h. Sulphasalazine (50, 100, 200 mg/kg), sulphapyridine (31.25, 62.5, 125 mg/kg) or 5-ASA (18.75, 37.5, 75 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously 0.5 h before stress induction. Cold-restraint stress produced gastric glandular mucosal ulcers which were significantly reduced by all three doses of sulphasalazine and the higher doses of sulphapyridine and 5-ASA. Sulphasalazine prevented mast cell degranulation and increased the amount of mucus adhering to the mucosa. In contrast, the higher doses of sulphapyridine significantly increased only the mucus levels, whereas those of 5-ASA effectively prevented mast cell degranulation. The results show that the total effect of sulphasalazine is approximately equivalent to the summation of the actions of its component doses of sulphapyridine and 5-ASA. It is notable that sulphapyridine itself appears to be biologically active in reducing ulcer severity.