Cytoprotecting-effect of cimetidine: experimental evidence in the rat gastric mucosal lesions induced by intragastric administration of necrotizing agents.

Contradictory data have been found on cimetidine-induced gastric cytoprotection. In our paper the effect of cimetidine administered intraperitoneally in doses of 2.5, 10 and 50 mg X kg-1, on: 1. The gastric acid secretory responses in 1 and 4 hr pylorus-ligated rats, and 2. The rat gastric mucosal lesions induced by intragastric administration of 0.6 M HCl, 0.2 M NaOH, 96% ethanol and 25% NaCl is discussed. It was found that: 1. Cimetidine dose-dependently inhibited the gastric acid secretion in 1 and 4 hr pylorus-ligated rats, but a dose of 2.5 mg X kg-1 did not exert any significant inhibition; 2. All doses of cimetidine significantly prevented the gastric lesion development induced by different necrotizing agents (0.6 M HCl, 0.2 M NaOH, 96% ethanol, and 25% NaCl); 3. The cytoprotecting dose of cimetidine was of 2.5 mg X kg-1; and 4. The duration of cimetidine-induced cytoprotection was 1 hr long before the administration of the necrotizing agent. These results suggest a real cimetidine-induced gastric cytoprotection.