[Role of sulfhydryl compounds in the oxygen radical induced injury of isolated gastric mucosal cells].

Gastric mucosal cells were separated by pronase-EDTA method and cultured. The cellular injury was produced by oxygen radicals provided by xanthine oxidase(XO)-xanthine(X) system. When the cells were subjected to the action of XO-X system, the cellular viability was decreased and leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from the cells was significantly increased. In addition, the cellular contents of nonprotein sulfhydryls (NPSH) and protein sulfhydryls (PSH) were decreased. When the intracellular sulfhydryl content was decreased by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM, a depletor of endogenous sulfhydryls), the cell mortality and LDH leakage were increased in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. If glutathione or cysteamine (compounds containing-SH) was administered into the media, the cellular injury induced by XO-X system was notably inhibited, also in a dose-dependent manner. The above results suggest that sulfhydryls may play an important role in the cell defending mechanism against injury of gastric mucosal cells by oxygen radicals.