Enhancement in gastric mucosal laminin receptor expression with ulcer healing by sucralfate

The expression of gastric mucosal laminin receptor during chronic ulcer healing in the presence of sucralfate treatment was investigated. Rats with induced gastric ulcers were treated twice daily for 20 consecutive days either with sucralfate at 100mg/kg or vehicle, and at different stages of treatment used for gastric mucosal laminin receptor quantitation. The assays revealed that accelerated ulcer healing (8 days) in the presence of sucralfate was accompanied by a significant enhancement in the laminin receptor expression. A 2.8-fold increase in the receptor expression over that of controls occurred by the 3rd day of sucralfate treatment, reached a maximum of 3.1-fold increase by the 7th day and remained elevated even after 20 days of treatment. The results attest to the ability of sucralfate to stimulate and promote the events associated with gastric mucosal integrity restoration.