Role of mucus in gastric mucosal injury induced by local ischemia/reperfusion

The role of gastric mucus was evaluated in a rat model of gastric epithelial damage induced by local ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) stress. In this model, blood-to-lumen chromium 51-labeled ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (51Cr-EDTA) clearance served as an index of injury. Tetraprenyl acetone (TPA; 100 mg, 200 mg/kg IP) was used to stimulate mucus production. Administration of TPA increased both the hexosamine content in gastric tissue and the amount of alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff (AB-PAS) stained mucus in the mucosa in a dose-dependent manner. Increases in 51Cr-EDTA clearance induced by I/R were significantly attenuated by TPA in a dose-dependent manner. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC; 0.6%, 0.8%) was perfused into the gastric lumen to assess the effect of reduction in mucus on the injury induced by I/R. Although mean values of hexosamine content were increased by perfusion with NAC, AB-PAS-stained mucus in the mucosa was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Perfusion of NAC did not change basal 51Cr-EDTA clearance but significantly exacerbated the increase in clearance induced by I/R in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that gastric mucus protects the gastric mucosa against I/R stress in vivo.