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.