Protection by procaine hydrochloride against reserpine-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in the rat: implications for stress-induced injury.

This study investigated whether oral procaine (1 mL of 5% solution) affords protection against reserpine-induced (5 mg/kg, ip) acute gastric mucosal injury in the rat. After 6 h, all rats in the reserpine-alone group developed mucosal injury confined to the glandular stomach (40.1 +/- 5.2 mm2, mean +/- SEM), and neither atropine (5 mg/kg, ip) or cimetidine (40 mg/kg ip) influenced this injury (38 +/- 4 and 40.5 +/- 4.6 mm2, respectively). Similarly, celiac ganglionectomy, to interrupt autonomic sympathetic delivery to the stomach, had no effect on the reserpine-induced injury (42 +/- 6 versus 40.1 +/- 5.2 mm2). Dose-dependent protection against the reserpine injury was produced by the alpha-adrenoceptor blocking drug phenoxybenzamine or phentolamine: a complete protection was noted with the 15-mg/kg dose. Vagotomy or procain completely protected the rat stomach against the reserpine injury. The data suggest that reserpine produces vagal adrenoceptor delivery to the rat stomach, resulting in mucosal injury, and that oral procaine blocks this delivery, thus achieving protection against injury development by a vagotomy action. The knowledge that the reserpine injury is a stress-induced injury indicates that oral procaine protects the rat stomach against stress-induced acute gastric mucosal injury.