Role of nitric oxide in the gastric cytoprotection induced by central vagal stimulation.

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the vagal cholinergic-mediated cytoprotective effect of intracisternal (i.c.) injection of the stable thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analog, RX 77368, was investigated in conscious rats. RX 77368 (1.5 ng i.c.) reduced by 88% gastric hemorrhagic lesions induced by oral administration of ethanol (60%). L-NG-Nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 3 mg/kg i.v.), an inhibitor of NO synthase, abolished the cytoprotection provided by i.c. RX 77368. The effect of L-NAME was reversed by L- but not D-arginine. These results suggest that the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway is involved in the cytoprotective effect of i.c. TRH analog, probably through the modulation of gastric mucosal blood flow.