Efficacy of combined ranitidine and pentacaine treatment in experimentally induced gastric damage in rats.

Combined treatment with the H2 antagonist ranitidine and the cytoprotective agent pentacaine was studied in acute gastric lesions induced by phenylbutazone and stress, in chronic gastric ulcers induced by acetic acid, and in Shay's model of gastric secretion stimulated by histamine. In all experimental settings, the effect of the combined treatment was more pronounced than the effect of each drug alone. The resulting antiulcer or antisecretory activity appeared to be additive or, in some cases, synergistic. If confirmed clinically, the combination of ranitidine and pentacaine may prove useful in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease.