Degraded and undegraded carrageenans and experimental gastric and duodenal ulceration.

Abstract

Abstract The prevention of histamine-induced gastric and duodenal ulceration in the guinea-pig has been examined using a series of undegraded and degraded carrageenans. Undegraded carrageenans were active at lower doses than degraded carrageenans. The high viscosity of the undegraded carrageenans in solution prevented their use in larger doses. Degradation of carrageenan without serious loss of sulphate, gives a product which allows the dose to be increased to an extent that its effect more than offsets the slight loss in activity caused by the degradation. No single feature of carrageenan structure can be related to anti-ulcer activity although degradation, and hence reduction of molecular size, generally reduces activity. Sulphate contents over 30% have little apparent effect on activity; κ-carrageenans were not consistently different in anti-ulcer activity from Λ-carrageenans. This contrasts with the antipeptic activity of carrageenans where κ-carrageenans are less active than their Λ-counter-parts. As with antipeptic activity, the degree of anti-ulcer activity is probably determined by a combination of structural features which includes molecular size and polyanionic properties.