Sex differences in stress-induced gastric ulceration: Effects of castration and ovariectomy

Abstract

The present study investigated sex differences in susceptibility to stress-induced ulcers. Gastric mucosal lesions were produced in mice and rats through the use of a paradigm in which some animals were shocked and others were exposed to stimuli arising from the shocked animals. Under these conditions, shocked and nonshocked animals showed an approximately equal incidence of gastric lesions. There were significant differences between the sexes in the incidence of gastric lesions following stress, with males of both species showing a higher incidence of ulceration. Castration reduced the severity of ulceration in males, but ovariectomy had no effect on ulceration in females. The data suggest that male sex hormones play an important role in the development of gastric lesions in both mice and rats under the experimental conditions employed.