Comparison of gross and microscopic gastric lesions produced in rats after single doses of aspirin and 2-deoxyglucose

Abstract

Gross and microscopic examination was made of the stomachs from vagotomized or sham-vagotomized rats 4 hours after single doses of (1) 128 mg/kg aspirin po, (2) aspirin and 3 ml of 0.075 n hydrochloric acid po, (3) 256 mg/kg 2-deoxyglucose sc, or (4) 2-deoxyglucose sc and hydrochloric acid po. In the sham-vagotomized rats, aspirin and 2-deoxyglucose both produced 100% incidence of gastric hemorrhage and microscopic erosions. When aspirin was given to vagotomized rats, no gastric hemorrhage was observed grossly, but microscopic erosions were seen in each rat. When hydrochloric acid was given with aspirin in vagotomized rats, the incidence of gastric hemorrhage returned to 100% and microscopic examination showed deeper erosions. The incidence of gastric hemorrhage with 2-deoxyglucose was reduced from 100% to 0 by vagotomy, and on microscopic examination, only one animal was found to have an erosion; no gross or microscopic lesions were found in a group of vagotomized rats given hydrochloric acid with 2-deoxyglucose. Acid in the gastric lumen increased the severity of the erosions produced in vagotomized rats given aspirin but did not influence the production of gastric lesions in 2-deoxyglucose-treated rats.