Effects of water-immersion restraint stress on rat gastric epithelial cell loss and migration

The effect of water-immersion restraint stress on cell loss and migration was studied in rats. In order to label the proliferating cells, tritiated thymidine was injected 72 h prior to the stress. Histoautoradiography was prepared for the measurement of cell migration and residual mucosal DNA-bound radioactivity by means of liquid scintillation count for cell loss. Residual DNA-bound radioactivity was significantly decreased in fundic mucosa, but not in antral mucosa, after 60-90 min of water-immersion restraint stress. Cell migration was also found to be accelerated in fundic mucosa after 90 min of stress. These results indicate that water-immersion restraint stress results in an increase of cell loss, which is accompanied by compensated acceleration of cell migration, in fundic mucosa of rats before the development of gastric erosions. In view of the previous observation that stress for the same short-term duration inhibits fundic epithelial proliferation in rats, this combination, increased cell loss with depressed epithelial proliferation, may contribute to stress-related gastric mucosal lesions in rats.