Ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in the rat with Taenia-stimulated hypertrophic gastropathy.

The susceptibility to ethanol-induced lesions was studied in rats with experimental hypertrophic gastropathy, in order to examine the nature of gastric mucosal resistance in this condition. Acute erosions were induced by a standard per os method of administration with graded concentrations of ethanol; underlying mucosal hypertrophic gastropathy was induced by infection with Taenia taeniaeformis. The gastric mucosal content of histamine and serotonin was also assessed. Hypertrophic gastropathy was characterized by mucus cell hyperplasia, greatly increased stomach weight, increased mucosal content of histamine, and no effect in resistance to gastric injury induced by graded doses of ethanol. Correlated changes in serotonin content with treatment were not observed, but mucosal histamine content was correlated inversely with ethanol administration in both parasite-infected and non-infected rats. This model of hypertrophic gastropathy could be of interest to study the pathogenesis of hypertrophic gastropathy and its response to known injurious agents.