Effect of histamine and prostaglandin E2 on gastric blood flow in swine

Gastric blood flow was measured by the radioactive microspheres entrapment technique following the IV infusions of saline solution, histamine, or prostaglandin E2 and histamine to young pigs. Pigs treated with histamine (2 micrograms/kg/minute for 60 minutes) had significantly higher blood flow to the gastric mucosa (P less than 0.025), particularly to the region of the proper gastric (fundic) glands (P less than 0.01), than did the saline-treated pigs. When prostaglandin E2 (1 microgram/kg/minute for 60 minutes) was infused simultaneously with histamine, there was a slight, but not significant, decrease (P less than 0.10) in mucosal blood flow to the region of the proper gastric glands. Analysis of the percentage distribution of blood flow indicated that the increase in blood flow to the region of the proper gastric glands after histamine infusion may be due to a redistribution of blood flow from the cardiac gland region.