Protection against alcohol-induced gastric mucosal injury by nitecapone

Effects of Cistus laurifolius L. flowers on gastric and duodenal lesions

The flowers and flower buds of Cistus laurifolius L. are used for the treatment of peptic ulcers. Through the bioassay-guided fractionation of the material, using water immersion and immobilisation-induced stress ulcer model, the EtOH-precipitated part from the aqueous extract (E-H2O decreases) was determined to be the active fraction. For the evaluation of the mode of action, the activity of E-H2O decreases was tested using various ulcer models in rats and mice and this fraction was found active against pylorus ligation-, abs. ethanol-, indomethacin-, indomethacin plus HCl/EtOH-induced gastric and cysteamine-induced duodenal lesions while ineffective against serotonin-induced gastric lesions. The active fraction showed its activity not only on per os administration but also after subcutanous injection. According to the results of biochemical studies, the active fraction showed a potent antiacid activity. In addition, histopathological, and toxicological studies were conducted with the active fraction.

Effects of cisapride on ulcer formation and gastric secretion in rats: comparison with ranitidine and omeprazol

1. The antiulcerogenic effects of cisapride, a potent benzamide-stimulating gastrointestinal motility agent, were studied on cold-resistant and pylorus-ligated gastric ulcers. Acidity, composition of gastric secretion, and quantitative and qualitative changes on mucus glycoprotein content were also determined. These effects were compared with those of ranitidine (50 mg/kg) and omeprazol (10 mg/kg). 2. Oral cisapride (10-100 mg/kg) dose-relatedly and significantly (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) decreased the severity of the lesions induced by cold-resistant stress. In stressed rats, cisapride increased the amount of mucus secretion and markedly enhanced the glycoprotein content. Morphometric evaluation of mucus secretion revealed a significant increase in both the PAS area (neutral glycoproteins) and Alcian blue area (sulfated glycoproteins). 3. In 4 h pyloric-ligated animals, cisapride (10-100 mg/kg) showed a significant reduction in the number and severity of ulcers (P < 0.01) and histamine concentration (P < 0.01, P < 0.001). In addition, at the highest doses (50-100 mg/kg), cisapride produced a significant decreases in acidity; however, it did not alter the gastric volume secretion or pepsin concentrations. 4. These results suggest that cisapride shows antiulcerogenic effects which could possibly be explained through antisecretory and cytoprotective mechanisms involving an enhancement of cuality and production of gastric mucus.

Gastroprotective effect of ranitidine bismuth citrate is associated with increased mucus bismuth concentration in rats

BACKGROUND

Antisecretory and bismuth compounds protect the gastric mucosa from injury resulting from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

AIM

To study the mechanism underlying the gastroprotective effects of ranitidine bismuth citrate (GG311) in rats.

METHODS

Indomethacin rat injury model and in vivo microscopy in which acid output, surface cell intracellular pH (pHi), gastric mucus gel thickness, and mucosal blood flow were measured simultaneously.

RESULTS

In injury studies, GG311 dose dependently protected against severe injury induced by indomethacin (60 mg/kg subcutaneously). In in vivo microscopic studies, indomethacin significantly decreased mucus gel thickness and increased the initial rate of acidification of gastric surface cells when the superfusate pH was lowered from 7.4 to 1.0, and impaired pHi during acid exposure. Indomethacin had no effect on mucosal blood flow or acid output. GG311 alone had no effect on gel thickness, blood flow, or pHi homeostasis during acid exposure, but improved the initial acidification rate and pHi during superfusion with pH 1.0 solutions in the presence of indomethacin. In separate experiments, indomethacin pretreatment considerably increased gastric mucus bismuth concentrations in rats given GG311.

CONCLUSIONS

The gastroprotective effect of GG311 against indomethacin induced gastric injury is associated with high and prolonged gastric mucus bismuth concentrations, which may impair proton permeation across the mucus gel.

Antisecretory and gastroprotective effects of aescine in rats

1. This study was designed to determine the antisecretory effects of aescine in the perfused stomach of the anaesthetized rat. In addition, the effects of aescine on mucosal lesions produced by intragastric instillation of 1 ml of absolute ethanol, its action on the production of mucus and the possible role of PGs in aescine induced gastroprotection were also studied. 2. Pretreatment of aescine (10 and 50 mg/kg) inhibited the increases in acid secretion induced by histamine (5 mg/kg) and carbachol (10 micrograms/kg). At the highest dose used abolished nearly the increase induced by carbachol (P < 0.001). 3. Aescine (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg) was found to be effective in the prevention of gastric ulceration induced by absolute ethanol in rats. The degree of gastroprotection decreased with time, the optime effects occurring 60-120 min after oral administration. Pretreatment with indomethacin (10 mg/kg) partially inhibited the gastric protection but the PGE2 determination did not show an increase in prostanoid levels. Furthermore, the protective effect was not associated with an increase in the amount of gastric mucus and glycoprotein content. 4. These results indicate that aescine exerts an antisecretory action which could play a possible role in its antiulcerogentic activity. Also it shows a marked protective mucosal activity which could be partly explained through non-prostaglandin dependent mechanisms involving its antiinflammatory and vasoactive properties.

Protection by nitecapone against sodium taurocholate-induced damage to cultured gastric cells

The goal of this study was to observe if nitecapone protected against taurocholate-induced damage in primary cultured rat gastric mucosal cells, as well as in a well-differentiated human gastric epithelial cell line (MKN 28). Prostaglandins were measured to analyze the protection mechanism. In primary rat gastric mucosal cell culture, nitecapone 125-250 microM protected the cells significantly against damage induced by sodium taurocholate, increasing cell viability by 31-38%. In the human gastric epithelial cell line, in which mitochondrial activity was measured as an indication of cell viability, nitecapone (62.5-250 microM) protected the cells against sodium taurocholate-induced damage by 12-20%. Prostaglandin E2, thromboxane B2, and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha measurements in the primary cultured rat gastric mucosal cells showed that nitecapone (125 microM and 250 microM) significantly stimulated prostaglandin E2 production (84.7% and 61.0%, respectively), and inhibited thromboxane B2 formation (50% at 250 microM), while the 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha formation was unaffected. Nitecapone had no effect on prostaglandin E2 production in the MKN 28 epithelial cell line. Indomethacin or aspirin, at concentrations that did not affect cell viability, antagonized the stimulative effect of nitecapone on prostaglandin E2 formation in the primary cultured rat gastric mucosal cells. Although the prostaglandin E2 synthesis was blocked, nitecapone still protected against cell damage induced by taurocholate. These results demonstrated the direct and efficacious protection of nitecapone on gastric cell level and suggest that the "cytoprotection" by nitecapone against taurocholate may not be mediated through the mechanism of stimulated synthesis of prostaglandin E2.

Nitecapone effect on the synthesis and secretion of gastric sulfomucin

1. The effect of a new antiulcer agent, nitecapone, on the synthesis and secretion of sulfomucin in gastric mucosa was investigated using mucosal segments incubated in the presence of [3H]proline, [3H]glucosamine and [35S]sulfate. 2. The drug, while showing no discernible effect on the apomucin synthesis, evoked a dose-dependent increase in mucin glycosylation and sulfation, which at 225 microM nitecapone, attained its maximum of 1.8 and 2.2-fold stimulation, respectively. 3. The analysis of mucin secretory responses revealed that nitecapone caused a concentration-dependent enhancement in sulfomucin secretion attaining maximum increase of 1.5-fold at 150 microM nitecapone. 4. The stimulatory effect of nitecapone on sulfomucin secretion was accompanied by 1.4-fold increase in mucosal cAMP level, and showed sensitivity to protein kinase A inhibitors, thus pointing towards the involvement of protein kinase A in mediation of gastric sulfomucin secretory responses to nitecapone. 5. The ability of nitecapone to enhance sulfomucin synthesis and secretion could be of importance to the gastroprotective action of this agent.

Mechanism of ebrotidine protection against gastric mucosal injury induced by ethanol

1. The gastroprotective properties of a new H2-receptor antagonist, ebrotidine, against ethanol-induced mucosal injury was investigated. 2. Groups of rats, with and without indomethacin pretreatment, received intragastrically either a dose of ebrotidine or vehicle only, followed by ethanol given at various intervals up to 4 hr. The gastric mucosa, 30 min after the ethanol challenge, was then subjected to macroscopic and histologic examination, and physicochemical measurements. 3. Ebrotidine at doses of 50 mg and higher per kg body wt effectively prevented the alcohol-induced mucosal injury, even in the presence of indomethacin. The protective effect was demonstrable already at 30 min, reached maximum at 1 hr, and persisted up to 3 hr. 4. Physicochemical analyses established that ebrotidine elicited 30% increase in mucus gel dimension, caused 19-20% increase in glycolipids and phospholipids, and evoked 21% increase in sulfomucin and 18% in sialomucins. As a consequence, the mucus gel viscosity increased by 1.4-fold, H+ retardation capacity by 16%, and hydrophobicity by 65%. 5. The results demonstrate that ebrotidine is a unique H2-antagonist endowed with a remarkable mucosal strengthening capability.