Gastric acid stimulating action of cysteamine in the rat

Cysteamine was previously found to produce duodenal ulcers in rats. In the present study, the effect of cysteamine on gastric secretion was studied. Cysteamine administered by a parenteral or intraduodenal route induced a marked and sustained increase in gastric secretion in conscious and in anesthetized rats. The response to cysteamine or its metabolite, cystamine, appeared gradually and the maximum response was observed in 2 or 3 hr after the administration. The response to cysteamine was completely inhibited by vagotomy and inhibited dose-dependently by atropine methylbromide or hexamethonium. Cysteamine stimulated gastric acid secretion in conscious rats with chronic gastric fistula but not in rats with denervated gastric pouch. Tissue histamine levels in the gastric mucosa, abdominal muscle and whole blood were not affected by cysteamine. These results suggest that a cholinergic mechanism is involved in the gastric secretion induced by cysteamine.