[Cellular and molecular mechanisms of the gastric mucosa: injury of the mucosa and the protective action of antacids].

Gastrointestinal mucosa is exposed to many substances, some made by their own body as HCl, pepsin, etc, others from exogenous origin as NSAIDs, alcohol etc. that injury the mucosa. The body has build protective mechanism against the injury that we describe in the article. We know antacids acts neutralizing the acid a now we know it work as a powerful stimulant of the mucosal protection. This is called cytoprotection and is described in the article.