Role of bile acids in the pathogenesis of aspirin-induced gastric mucosal hemorrhage in rats.

The simultaneous oral administration of acetylsalicylic acid (64 mg per kg) and taurocholic acid (2.5 mM) to rats induced gastric hemorrhagic mucosal bleeding in 82.4% of animals compared with 29.7% of animals given acetylsalicylic acid alone. Taurodeoxycholic acid and glycocholic acid with acetylsalicylic acid also significantly increased the incidence of gastric hemorrhagic mucosal bleeding compared with the control animals, but cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, and deoxycholic acid did not have a significant effect. Hemorrhagic mucosal lesions were not observed when the bile acids studied were administered alone. These results indicate a possible role for certain bile acids in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosal bleeding after the ingestion of aspirin.