Stimulation of prostaglandin output from rat stomach by hypertonic solutions

A whole-cell preparation of rat stomach put out appreciable amounts of immunoassayable PGE. Buffers made hypertonic with either sodium chloride or mannitol effected several-fold increases in PGE output, while a comparable osmotic concentration of urea seemed to produce much less stimulation. Enhancement of PGE output by saline--hypertonic buffers was concentration-dependent. It is suggested that the osmolarity of the gastric contents may play a role in regulating gastric PG biosynthesis.