Aging: altered responsiveness of gastric mucosa to epidermal growth factor

The present investigation examines the responsiveness of the gastric mucosa to the growth-promoting action of epidermal growth factor (EGF) during advancing age. Two sets of experiments were performed. In the first set of experiments, groups of 4-, 8-, 16-, and 24-mo-old Fischer 344 rats were injected subcutaneously at 12-h intervals for 2 days with either EGF (10 micrograms/kg) in gelatin or the vehicle only (controls). The animals were killed 16-18 h after the last injection. The oxyntic gland mucosa was assayed for thymidine kinase and the rate of DNA synthesis in vitro (indicators of proliferative activity) as well as for tyrosine kinase (Tyr-k) activity. In control rats, the rate of DNA synthesis and thymidine kinase activity rose steadily between 4 and 24 mo of age. However, whereas Tyr-k activity in the gastric mucosal cytosol changed only marginally with age, activity of the enzyme in the membrane fraction rose steadily between 4 and 16 mo and then increased abruptly. EGF stimulated gastric mucosal DNA synthesis and thymidine kinase activity in 4- to 16-mo-old rats compared with the corresponding controls, but in the 24-mo-old animals, it caused a significant 40-50% inhibition. EGF had no demonstrable effect on Tyr-k activity in either cytosolic or membrane fraction. We postulated that Tyr-k activity might have returned to basal level 16-18 h after the last EGF injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)