Exogenous administration of bFGF was shown to accelerate tissue repair predominantly due to an increase in the formation of new microvessels (angiogenesis) suggesting that bFGF plays an important role in healing of gastric ulcer. This study was designed: 1) to examine the effect of local application of bFGF with or without neutralizing antibody (NA) to bFGF and 2) to determine the role of gastric secretion, gastric blood flow (GBF) at the ulcer margin and angiogenesis during gastric ulcer healing with or without local application of NA, bFGF or the combination of NA and bFGF. Chronic gastric ulcers were induced in Wistar rats by subserosal application of acetic acid (ulcer area 28 mm2) and gastric secretion during ulcer healing was assessed using animals additionally equipped with chronic gastric fistulas. The bFGF without or with NA to bFGF (10 ng/100 microl]), irrelevant antibodies (rabbit IgG; 10 microg/100 microl) or vehicle (saline) were locally injected into the subserosa immediately upon ulcer induction (day 0) and at day 2. Rats with acetic acid ulcers without subserosal injections served as controls. At day 11, all animals were anaesthetized and GBF was determined at the ulcer base, ulcer margin as well as in intact mucosa using the H2-gas clearance technique and the area of gastric ulcers was measured by planimetry. Gastric mucosa with ulcer was excised and the percentage of area covered with blood vessels, the number of fibroblasts and the percentage of connective tissue at the ulcer edge was assessed by histology. The gastric ulcers were healed spontaneously in control vehicle-treated rats at day 11 and this was accompanied by the significant increase in the GBF and number of microvessels in the ulcer area. The gastric secretion was suppressed immediately after ulcer induction and increased significantly at day 2 and day 11 but failed to return to that recorded in intact animals. In contrast, local application of bFGF inhibited gastric acid and pepsin outputs at each study time intervals tested and this effect was reversed by addition of NA to bFGF. Locally applied bFGF accelerated significantly ulcer healing and this was accompanied by the greater rise in the GBF of ulcer margin and more marked increase in number of microvessels as compared to those in vehicle-treated rats. Subserosal application of NA to bFGF prolonged significantly the ulcer healing and this effect was accompanied by a significant fall in the GBF at the ulcer margin and a decrease in number of capillaries in ulcer bed without significant alteration in gastric acid and pepsin outputs. The ulcer healing effect of bFGF and accompanying increase in the GBF at ulcer margin and in thenumber of microvessels as well as inhibition of gastric acid secretion evoked by bFGF were significantly attenuated by the addition of NA to bFGF. The number of fibroblasts and the distribution of connective tissue did not differ between groups studied. We conclude that; 1) depletion of endogenous bFGF at the ulcer area by specific NA to bFGF delays healing of gastric ulcers, reduces angiogenesis of ulcer bed and impairs the microcirculatory effect of this growth factor at the ulcer margin indicating that the availability of bFGF in the ulcer area plays a crucial role in the ulcer healing through induction of angiogenesis; 2) this prominent antiulcer effect of locally applied bFGF depends, at least in part, upon the inhibition of acid secretion by this peptide.