[The role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the mechanisms of ulcerogenesis]

The functional activity displayed by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PL) of the peripheral blood and gastric mucosa, including ulcer margins, was studied in 50 rabbits with ulcer experimentally induced by the Okabe method and in 25 intact animals. The peripheral blood PLs were found to show substantially increased lysosomal cation proteins (LCP), enhanced alkaline phosphatase and decreased peroxidase activity. The changes in the gastric mucosa, particularly in its damaged area, were characterized by a marked microcirculatory bed response and formation of lymphocytic and, later on, pronounced neutrophilic infiltrates. The tissue PL therewith contained abundance of glycogen and LCP and intensively secreted granules. The maximum of these manifestations as viewed from PL coincided with the ulcer formation period (on days 2-3 of the experiment). When the ulcer had developed, the levels of LCP and glycogen in PL became lower. It was concluded that PL made an important contribution to ulcerogenesis.