Effects of heparin and asbestos with corticotrophin on the mucosal mast cells and tissue eosinophils of rat stomach.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Intact rats were injected once with a suspension of asbestos and for 5 days with 2 IU of adrenocorticotrophin-zinc per day. 1.0 mg of heparin was injected intraperitoneally 9 times at 12-hourly intervals and the same amount of ACTH intramuscularly. The rats were decapitated 5 days after the injection of asbestos, 24 hours after the last ACTH injection and 3 hours after the last heparin injection. The mucosal mast cells and tissue eosinophils of the stomach were counted from the body mucosa and recorded per mm2 of tissue. Heparin caused no changes in either the mast cell count or tissue eosinophilia, nor did it bring about any changes in the degranulation of mucosal mast cells during the ACTH effect, or in the destruction of tissue eosinophilia. Asbestos peritonitis seemed to have a degranulating effect on mucosal mast cells and a destructive effect on tissue eosinophilia. It also appeared to increase the effect of ACTH on the mucosal cells. It is suggested that glucocorticoids stimulated by ACTH exert such an immediate effect on the function of the cells of the mucosal lamina propria that the inhibitory effect of heparin and asbestos is counteracted.