Inducible types of cyclooxygenase and nitric oxide synthase in adaptive cytoprotection in rat stomachs.

Roles of cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) and nitric oxide (NO) synthases (nNOS and iNOS) in adaptive cytoprotection induced by 20 mM taurocholate dissolved in 50 mM HCl (TC) were investigated in rat stomachs. Intragastric administration of 0.6 N HCl caused haemorrhagic damage in the stomach. These lesions were prevented by pretreatment of the animals with TC p.o. 0.5 h before 0.6 N HCl, and a significant protection persisted for more than 5 h. The protection afforded by TC given 0.5 h before HCl was almost totally reversed by indomethacin and slightly mitigated by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) but not affected by NS-398 or aminoguanidine. By contrast, the mucosal protective action of TC given 5 h before HCl was significantly reversed by NS-398, L-NAME and aminoguanidine as well as indomethacin. Mucosal prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) contents were significantly increased for over 5 h after TC, while luminal NOx output tended to elevate at 0.5 h and be significantly increased at 5 h after TC. The increased PGE2 generation observed 0.5 h after TC was attenuated only by indomethacin, while that observed 5 h after TC was inhibited by NS-398 as well as indomethacin. On the other hand, the NOx output determined at 5 h after TC was significantly reduced by both L-NAME and aminoguanidine. The expression of mRNA for both COX-2 and iNOS was apparently detected in the stomach from 3 h after TC treatment. These results suggest that TC induced adaptive cytoprotection in the rat stomach against 0.6 N HCl, the effect lasting for over 5 h, and the underlying mechanism differs depending on the period after the irritation. The early phase is mediated mainly by COX-1/PGs, while the later phase is mediated by iNOS/NO, in addition to prostaglandins (PGs) produced by both COX-1 and COX-2.