Roles of intrinsic prostaglandins and leukotrienes in gastric mucosal damage

While gastric mucosa contains prostaglandins and leukotrienes, the roles of these substances in the gastric mucosal protection and damage are not clarified. Using AA-861, a specific 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, and indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, we investigated the roles of intrinsic prostaglandins and leukotrienes in the gastric circulatory change and the development of gastric lesion induced by ethanol. Rats were fasted for 48 hours and allowed free access to water. After light ether anesthesia, rats were orally given AA-861 (gift from Takeda Chem. Industry; 2.5, 10, 40 or 640 mg/kg), indomethacin (20 mg/kg), and the both or AA-861 (40 mg/kg) and indomethacin (20 mg/kg). Thirty min after the treatment, 2 ml of ethanol (30, 40, 70, 99.5%) was orally administered. Sixty min later, the rats were killed to measure the area of mucosal lesions. The gastric mucosa was damaged by ethanol (greater than or equal to 40%) in a dose-dependent manner. The treatment with AA-861 prohibited the gastric mucosal damage. However, the treatment with indomethacin did not show a significant influence to the mucosal damage. Combined treatment of AA-861 and indomethacin yielded no significant difference from that of single treatment with AA-861 in acute gastric mucosal ulceration. The mucosal blood flow velocity was monitored by laser doppler velocimetry before and after the ethanol administration in the groups treated with vehicle, AA-861 or indomethacin. The blood flow velocity decreased after the administration of 40% ethanol in the group treated with indomethacin, and in a group treated with vehicle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)