THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PROSTAGLANDIN IN GASTRIC DISEASE

Prostaglandins （PGS） are widely distributed throughout the gastrointestinal tract and affect a viariety of gastrointestinal functions. Especially, the prostaglandin E （PGE） compounds are synthesized in the gastric mucosa. Many studies have proved that PGS, especially the E tupe, are cytoprotective to gastric mucosa exposed to a variety of necrotizing agents and nonsteroidal antiinflamatory agents, such as aspirin or indomethacin, which, as they have been shown, cause irritation, ulceration and bleeding of the gastric mucosa.
The results of our clinical and experimental studies determing the distribution of PGE in the gastric mucosa were described in this report.
The data indicate （1）that the gastric mucosa of rat and human subjects produces PGE in significantly higher concentrations in the antrum than in the fundus.; （2）nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents such as aspirin may lead to the reduction PG biosynthesis, and as a result of this reduction there is a promoting effect on the gastric muosal injury; （3） 1% or less of the antisecretory dose of PGE （including endogenous cytoprotection PGE induced by 20% ethanal） can protect gastric mucosa, and it means that a way of preventing ulcer caused by drugs clinically has been found; （4） Increase in PGE has been observed in the gastric mucosa in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis and superficial gastritis, significantly different from the finding in healthy subjects, Does PGE appear to be involved in the etiology of atrophic gastitis? This problem has to be studied further in the future.