Quantitative changes in mast cells and microvascular pattern associated with dietary gastric ulceration in rats

The regional distribution of mast cells and the microvascular pattern in the stomach of Wistar rats fed on an ulcerogenic diet were compared with those of control animals. Mounts of the distended stomach were made and stained for blood vessels and mast cells in the subserosal layer. Measurements made under dark ground illumination in 12 operationally defined regions of the serosa demonstrated that the stomach wall in the region around the oesophagus is more richly vascularised and possesses a greater number of mast cells (60 cells per mm2) than other regions. Changes in the mast cells and microvasculature were observed in rats fed an ulcerogenic diet, notably in the zone around the oesophagus, where more than 30% mast cells were degranulated and the mean vascular diameter increased by 26%. The severity of the vascular changes correlated with the location of the ulcers of which 50% were in the zone surrounding the oesophagus.