Cysteamine-induced duodenal ulcer is not site-specific: effect of local modulating factors.

In cysteamine-induced duodenal ulcer, an animal model for the clinical disease, lesions are characteristically produced on the anterior and posterior walls of the proximal duodenum. Using this model, we investigated factors that may affect duodenal ulcer localization and intensity. Mobilization of the gastroduodenum by severing its ligaments; circumscribed application of acetic acid to the serosa of the lateral wall of the duodenum; or placement of materials (e.g., gelfoam, parafilm) on the proximal duodenum, each decreased the intensity of anterior-posterior ulcers and resulted in formation of atypical, mostly distal duodenal ulcers. The effect of these manipulations on acid secretion suggests that their influence on the development of duodenal ulcer is not entirely due to modulation of gastric secretion. The data indicate that the localization of induced duodenal ulcer can be shifted distally and is therefore not site specific. This study provides new clues and techniques for the study of the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer disease.