Cimetidine and omeprazole accelerate gastric ulcer healing by an increase in gastrin secretion

Daily oral administration of cimetidine or omeprazole markedly accelerated the healing of acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers in rats with a limited food intake time. The increased gastric acid secretion induced by daily treatment with histamine affected neither the spontaneous healing of the ulcers nor the healing-promoting actions of both agents. Pretreatment of rats with ulcers with 6-hydroxydopamine significantly inhibited the increase in the antrum gastrin cells, serum gastrin levels and corpus mucosal thickness elicited by repeated administration of cimetidine or omeprazole. Pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine did not affect the inhibitory actions of cimetidine and omeprazole on acid secretion, but completely abolished the ulcer healing-promoting actions of both drugs. Daily intraperitoneal administration of pentagastrin accelerated ulcer healing. These results suggest that cimetidine and omeprazole mainly accelerate the healing of gastric ulcers by the trophic action of gastrin via the increase in gastrin secretion, while the inhibition of acid secretion may play a minor role in ulcer healing.