Effects of somatostatin on ethanol-induced gastric erosions in the rat: role of mast cells.

Somatostatin (S) inhibits hemorrhagic gastric erosions produced by ethanol. In this study we compared the dose-dependent effects of linear (reduced) and cyclic (oxidized) S with respect to mast cell degranulation. The gastric mucosal injuries were more inhibited by linear S than by cyclic S. But linear S aggravated injury at a certain dose (10(-7) mol/rat). Mucosal mast cell degranulation correlated significantly with the area of hemorrhagic mucosal lesions (r = 0.91). Both cytoprotection as well as aggravation potency of S may be connected to gastric mucosal mast cell activity in the rat.