Endogenous prostaglandins in gastric alkaline response in the rat stomach after damage

A role of endogenous prostaglandins in gastric alkaline response (an increase of luminal pH) and functional recovery was investigated in the rat stomach after damage with acidified taurocholate (TC, 20 mM) or aspirin (ASA, 40 mM). Exposure of the stomach to TC or ASA similarly produced a transmucosal potential difference (PD) reduction and enhancement of H+ backdiffusion. The PD was restored gradually with time, and this process was much faster in the case of TC compared with ASA. After exposure to TC, acid secretion ceased and bicarbonate (0.5-1 mu eq/10 min) appeared in the lumen, whereas acid secretion persisted in the stomach exposed to ASA. However, in the presence of cimetidine (8 mg . kg-1 . h-1), these two agents produced a similar degree of luminal alkalinization (approximately 1 mu eq/10 min of HCO3-). Pretreatment with indomethacin (5 mg/kg, sc) significantly inhibited luminal alkalinization and PD recovery seen after exposure to TC. Concurrent administration of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (3 micrograms/kg, sc) antagonized the effects of indomethacin in stomachs exposed to TC and also unmasked luminal alkalinization and expedited the PD recovery in stomachs exposed to ASA. The levels of PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha in the corpus mucosa were significantly increased in stomachs exposed to TC, but decreased in those exposed to ASA. These results indicate that luminal alkalinization of the stomach after damage with TC results from both an inhibition of acid secretion caused by endogenous prostaglandins and an increased appearance of HCO-3, and may play a role in functional recovery of the damaged mucosa. Gastric alkalinization seems to be a common phenomenon after exposure to mucosal damaging agents unless they have an inhibitory effect on prostaglandin biosynthesis.