THE EFFECT OF TRIPOTASSIUM DICITRATO-BISMUTHATE ON THE RAT STOMACH

Background: Bismuth has been used as symptomatic treatment of dyspepsi a for many years. It promotes healing of peptic ulcers and reduces the ir recurrence. The beneficial effect of bismuth on duodenal ulcer dise ase is thought to be due to an effect on Helicobacter pylori, although it has a rather weak bactericidal effect on H. pylori in vitro. Eradi cation of H. pylori in duodenal ulcer patients by a combination of bis muth, tetracycline and metronidazole has been reported to increase the density of somatostatin-producing D cells in the antrum. A reduced D cell density in the antral mucosa of duodenal ulcer patients could exp lain their exaggerated gastrin release. Aims/methods: To test the poss ibility that bismuth could affect the neuroendocrine cells independent of the presence of H. pylori or not, we gave rats a diluted tripotass ium dicitrato bismuthate solution by gastric gavage for 14 days.Result s: Tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate treatment did not affect maximal pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion or histamine release in isolate d rat stomachs or the density of argyrophil cells in the oxyntic and a ntral mucosa. However, it significantly reduced the duodenal concentra tion of gastrin and calcitonin gene-related peptide, and the density o f G cells in the antrum and duodenum. Conclusion: The effect of tripot assium dicitrato bismuthate on the G cell may be of significance for i ts beneficial effect on duodenal ulcer disease.