Noninvolvement of gastric mucus in the mucolytic effect of stepronine lysine salt.

The possible influence of stepronine lysine salt, a mucolytic agent, on human gastric mucus was investigated in ten healthy volunteers. Stepronine was administered by the oral route for ten days at a dose of 810 mg daily. Neither the total amount of mucoproteins in the gastric juice nor the quality of gastric mucus secretion (as assessed by a 'mucoprotective index') were altered after treatment with the bronchial secretolytic. The results indicate that the mucolytic activity of stepronine does not involve the gastric mucous coating and that the drug does not exert adverse effects on the gastric mucosa.