Basal Gastric Blood Flow Research Articles

Age-Related Changes in Gastric Blood Flow in Rats

The present study was designed to examine the influence of aging on the gastric blood flow, a major mucosal protective mechanism against experimental gastric mucosal injury, basally and after treatment with acid, a known stimulant of gastric blood flow. Our data demonstrated that aging was associated with a significant decline in basal gastric blood flow (both mucosal and serosal). However, there were no significant differences in acid-induced increases in gastric blood flow between the young and aged animals. These findings suggest that aging is associated with selective and specific reductions in mucosal protective mechanisms that may predispose aged animals to gastric mucosal injury.

Gastric acid secretion after blockade of angiotensin AT 1 receptors in the Na +-depleted rat

This study tested the hypothesis that angiotensin II acting through the angiotensin AT 1 receptor plays an important role in the control of gastric acid secretion. Basal gastric acid secretion and gastric blood flow were lower in Na +-depleted animals, in which the renin-angiotensin system was activated, than in animals maintained on a normal Na + diet. Intravenous infusion of pentagastrin at 0.6 μg/kg/min increased gastric acid secretion to a greater extent in normal Na + than in Na +-depleted animals. In addition to stimulating gastric acid secretion, pentagastrin increased gastric blood flow by proportionally the same amount in both normal and low Na + animals. However, because basal gastric blood flow was considerably reduced in Na +-depleted animals, the increase produced by pentagastrin extended only to the levels observed in non-pentagastrin-treated normal Na + animals. Lower gastric blood flow in response to pentagastrin may explain the smaller increase in gastric acid secretion observed in Na +-depleted animals. In Na +-depleted animals, the selective angiotensin AT 1 receptor antagonist losartan did not affect basal gastric acid secretion or gastric blood flow, suggesting the involvement of mechanisms other than angiotensin II. Following blockade of angiotensin AT 1 receptors, pentagastrin significantly increased gastric blood flow in Na +-depleted animals to levels observed with infusion of the pentapeptide in normal Na + animals. The results suggest that the decrease in pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion in Na +-depleted animals is mediated by angiotensin II acting through the angiotensin AT 1 receptor, most probably through vascular mechanisms.

Nitric oxide-mediated gastric hyperemia decreases ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in uremic rats.

We investigated whether the recently described endothelium-derived nitric oxide-mediated gastric hyperemia in the uremic rat protects the gastric mucosa against ethanol injury. Uremia was induced by subtotal nephrectomy. Basal gastric mucosal blood flow, measured by a hydrogen gas clearance technique, was significantly higher in uremic than control rats. Continuous intragastric perfusion with 40% ethanol produced significantly less gross and histological lesions in uremic than in control rats. The administration of 3 mg/kg of NW-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide biosynthesis, decreased resting gastric mucosal blood flow to control levels in uremic rats, but had no effect on basal gastric blood flow in control rats. This pretreatment with the inhibitor of nitric oxide biosynthesis increased 40% ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions in uremic rats to the same level as that observed in control rats, but had no effect on lesions in control rats. In conclusion, this study suggests that in the uremic rat, gastric hyperemia, mediated by increased endothelium-derived nitric oxide, attenuates ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury.