A simple method for estimation of gastric mucus and effects of antiulcerogenic agents on the decrease in mucus during water-immersion stress in rats.

In the present study Corne's technique that has been commonly used to quantify the gastric mucus in situ using the dye, Alcian blue, has been improved. Furthermore, the effects of antiulcerogenic agents on the decrease in gastric mucus gel during water-immersion stress were also studied. In order to increase the extraction of dye-recovery, we used 30% dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (docusate sodium, DSS) instead of 0.5 mol/l MgCl2 used in Corne's technique. The control values of the dye-recovery extracted with DSS were about 5 times higher than those with MgCl2. Indomethacin (20 mg/kg s.c.) failed to influence dye-recovery with DSS and MgCl2, while reserpine (5 mg/kg i.p.) significantly decreased the dye-recovery in both extractions. Water-immersion stress for 2 h decreased the dye-recovery with DSS but the dye-recovery with MgCl2 decreased only 15 min after water-immersion. These results suggest that extraction with DSS reflects the mucus gel secretion, and that dye-recovery with DSS is more sensitive to alteration of mucus gel than that with MgCl2. Bombesin (10 micrograms/kg), secretin (100 U/kg) and mild irritants increased the dye-recovery with DSS. Cimetidine remarkably reduced the mucus secretion and failed to improve the decrease in mucus during water-immersion stress. Pirenzepine and atropine dose-dependently prevented the decrease in the dye-recovery during water-immersion stress.