Failure of prostacyclin, beta-carotene, atropine and cimetidine to produce gastric cyto- and general mucosal protection in surgically vagotomized rats

Different chemicals (such as ethanol, HCl, drugs) produce gastric mucosal injury. A special type of gastric mucosal defense, which differed from the inhibition of gastric acid secretion, was discovered in response to small doses of prostaglandins. This phenomenon was termed "gastric cytoprotection". Later, the existence of gastric cytoprotection was proved using different compounds, such as vitamin A and other carotenoids, prostacyclin, small doses of anticholinergic and H2-blocking agents. These compounds produce cyto-protection by different mechanisms. In this study we tested the role of vagus nerve on the development of these different types of gastric cytoprotection. These compounds prevent ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats with intact vagus nerve, but their cyto- and mucosal protective effects disappear in surgically vagotomized rats. These results indicate that the intact vagus nerve is basically necessary for the overproduction of HCl and pepsin secretion, and for the development of gastric cytoprotection, produced by different compounds (e.g. prostacyclin, beta-carotene, small doses of atropine and cimetidine) acting without the presence of inhibition of gastric acid secretion.