Prevention of stress ulcer by cimetidine and somatostatin in rats

In experiments on live animals we have examined to what extent prophylactic applications of cimetidine and somatostatin are able to prevent stress-induced ulcer in the rat. 130 male Wistar strain rats were exposed to a combined immobilisation-immersion stress, cimetidine was given subcutaneously and somatostatin as a continuous intraperitoneal infusion. Results show that cimetidine produces no change in the average ulceration index (U.I.), nor in the transmural potential (P.D.). However, somatostatin significantly lowers the incidence rate of stress-induced gastric ulcers in rats.