Effect of tetramethylpyrazine on reserpine-induced gastric lesion in rats

The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of tetramethylpyrazine administered intraperitoneally on gastric lesions, gastric acid secretion, gastric barrier mucus secretion, and gastric contraction in reserpine-treated rats. The results of this study demonstrated that tetramethylpyrazine at doses of 0.5, 1, 10, and 20 mg/kg significantly inhibited the formation of gastric lesions induced by reserpine, with suppressive rates of 57.5%, 64.0%, 94.1%, and 96.0%, respectively. Tetramethylpyrazine (1 and 20 mg/kg) significantly prompted the secretion of gastric barrier mucus but had no effect on the secretion of gastric acid. Our findings also showed that tetramethylpyrazine (1 and 20 mg/kg) significantly suppressed the frequency of gastric contractions, but had no effect on the amplitude of gastric contraction. These results indicate that the protection of tetramethylpyrazine results, in part, from promoting gastric barrier mucus secretion and suppressing the frequency of gastric contraction, but not from suppressing the secretion of gastric acid and the amplitude of gastric contraction.