Influence of the stimulation of central chemoreceptors on the gastric mucosal blood flow in artificially ventilated and spontaneously breathing rats

Respiratory failure coincides frequently with the occurrence of gastric ulceration. In advanced respiratory insufficiency hypoxemia is often accompanied by hypercapnia, which is the stimulus for central chemoreceptors as well as for carotid body chemoreceptors. The purpose of the work was to investigate the reflex effect of stimulation of central chemoreceptors on gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF) in the rat. Central chemoreceptors were stimulated by a gas mixture composed of 10% carbon dioxide, 50% oxide and 40% nitrogen. In artificially ventilated and spontaneously breathing animals, the stimulation of central chemoreceptors caused a significant increase in gastric mucosal vascular resistance, accompanied by a marked decline in blood flow. We hypothesize that in patients with respiratory insufficiency accompanied by hypercapnia, the reflex impairment of GMBF may contribute to gastric ulceration.