[Calcium in the prevention of stress ulcer in the rat]

Calcium gluconate, carbonate, and lactate are potent antiulcerogenic agents when administered intragastrically at pH 6.3 by sustained infusion (45 mg/kg/8 h). In intact rats, by radioimmunologically measurable serum, gastrin and calcitonin are inversely correlated, whereas gastrin and ulcer index tend to correlate directly. The findings imply a key role for thyroid-releasable endogenous calcitonin in this disorder.