Role of sulfhydryl-containing agents in the healing of erosive gastritis and chronic gastric ulceration in the rat.

One milliliter of 1, 2, or 5% DL-cysteine (cysteine) or DL-methionine methylsulfonium chloride (MMSC) was instilled into the rat stomach 1, 24, and 48 h after giving ethanol (1 mL of 40% solution) by gavage. One hour following the administration of ethanol, gastric mucosal injury was seen in all the animals (22.6 +/- 1.1 mm2, mean +/- SEM; n = 10). Twenty-four hours after giving the ethanol, all the rats treated with cysteine or MMSC still had the mucosal injury. Treatment with 2% cysteine or MMSC significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced the extent of this injury (10.2 +/- 0.6 and 10.1 +/- 0.5 mm2, respectively, versus 20.7 +/- 1.2 mm2, mean +/- SEM; n = 10), an action that was similarly achieved by the 5% solutions (10.1 +/- 0.5 and 9.9 +/- 0.3 mm2, respectively, versus 20.7 +/- 1.2 mm2, mean +/- SEM; n = 10). Forty-eight hours following the administration of ethanol, 30% of the animals given 1% cysteine or MMSC still had gastric mucosal injury, which was significantly (p less than 0.001) less extensive than that seen with ethanol alone (3.8 +/- 0.3 and 4.1 +/- 0.3 mm2, respectively, versus 13.1 +/- 0.8 mm2, mean +/- SEM; n = 10). At this time period, however, none of the animals treated with 2 or 5% solutions of cysteine or MMSC still had any injury. Healing of the ethanol-induced injury was confirmed microscopically and was achieved by regeneration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)