Autonomic regulation of gastric ulcerogenesis after cervical cord transection in the rat.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the role of anticholinergic and sympathomimetic drugs in preventing gastric ulcerogenesis after cervical cord transection (CCT) in the rat.

METHODS

A randomized, prospective, interventional trial was performed comparing pirenzepine (muscarinic type I receptor antagonist) and ephedrine (nonspecific sympathomimetic) in the prevention of gastric ulcerogenesis after CCT in the rat. After isoflurane-induced general anesthesia, group 1 (n = 12) received sham CCT with no pretreatment, group 2 received CCT with no pretreatment, group 3 received CCT with pirenzepine pretreatment (0.01/mg/kg IP), and group 4 received CCT with ephedrine pretreatment (3 mg/kg IP). Six hours after intervention, all the rats were euthanized with isoflurane, stomachs were dissected, and a gastric ulcer index was determined.

RESULTS

The mean (+/- SD) ulcer index was 0.08 +/- 0.1 for group 1, 2.33 +/- 0.5 for group 2 (p = 0.01), 0.41 +/- 0.7 for group 3 (p = 0.037 compared with group 2), and 0.75 +/- 0.7 for group 4 (p = 0.0005 compared with group 2). Groups 3 and 4 were not significantly different from each other (p = 0.30).

CONCLUSIONS

Gastric ulcerogenesis after CCT in the rat is decreased by anticholinergic and sympathomimetic drug pretreatment.