Chronic stimulation of the gastric parietal cell mass

Abstract

Summary 1. The effect of histamine, hydrocortisone and growth hormone on gastric parietal cells was investigated in rats by a continuous stimulation with these drugs. 2. Histamine was found to be effective in the production of mucosal hyperplasia and in increasing the parietal cell population. This increase was statistically significant at four sites at which the parietal cells were counted. None of these animals developed gastric ulceration during treatment. 3. Hydrocortisone was not effective in increasing the parietal cell mass. On the contrary there was a slight but not statistically significant decrease in the number of parietal cells associated with bleeding gastric ulcers in six of seven animals. This effect of hydrocortisone could be caused by increased pepsin secretion, by decreased mucus production or by increased susceptibility of the mucosa to acidpepsin digestion. 4. Growth hormone had no measurable effect on parietal cells. 5. It has been demonstrated that chronic stimulation with histamine can lead to an increase in the parietal cell mass in rats. However, the question whether the increased parietal cell mass observed in patients with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is caused by chronic gastrin stimulation or is genetically determined cannot be answered at this time.