Effect of acute verapamil treatment on cold restraint-induced gastric lesions in rats with lesioned nucleus basalis magnocellularis

Abstract

Our recent studies suggested that there were no differences in the number and type of cold restraint-induced gastric lesions (petechiae and erosions) between control and nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM)-lesioned rats. Having in mind that calcium antagonists can prevent the development of gastric stress ulcer in control rats, the aim of the present study was directed to compare the effect of verapamil in the prevention of cold restraint-induced gastric lesions in control and NBM-lesioned rats. Therefore, 30 min before the stress, control (intact control and sham-operated) rats as well as rats with bilateral electrolytic lesions of NBM were treated with saline (1 ml/kg s.c.) or verapamil (1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg s.c.) and exposed to cold restraint for 2 hr. Verapamil, in doses of 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg, significantly decreased the number and length of gastric erosions (p < 0.05) in control rats, while in NBM-lesioned rats, the same doses of verapamil significantly decreased the number of gastric petechiae (p < 0.01). Since the antiulcer treatment with verapamil express different effects in the prevention of the two types of gastric lesions in control and NBM-lesioned rats, it can be concluded that in NBM-lesioned rats there may exist an alteration of the mechanisms involved in stress-induced gastric petechiae and erosions.