Effects of prostaglandin biosynthesis inhibitors and ouabain on duodenal mucosa and HCO3- secretion in rats.

A single injection (s.c.) of prostaglandin biosynthesis inhibitors such as indomethacin (5 mg/kg), aspirin (200 mg/kg) and quinacrine (100 mg/kg) or a Na+.K+ ATPase inhibitor such as ouabain (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced the adaptive increase of HCO3- output caused by acid in the duodenum of anesthetized rats. These agents had no effect on basal duodenal HCO3- secretion and histamine-stimulated gastric acid secretion. Either of these agents, when given alone, had no effect on the duodenal mucosa of conscious rats, but produced damage in the proximal duodenum within 8 hr when given together with histamine (40 mg/kg X 3, s.c., every 2.5 hr). A significant relationship was found between the degrees of inhibition of acid-induced HCO3- output and the severity of duodenal lesions induced by these drugs (r = 0.8620, P less than 0.01). These results suggest that an impairment of the mechanisms related to acid-induced HCO3- secretion may be particularly relevant to the pathogenesis of duodenal lesions.