CHRONIC ADMINISTRATION OF OCTREOTIDE AMELIORATES PORTAL-HYPERTENSION AND PORTAL HYPERTENSIVE GASTROPATHY IN RATS WITH CIRRHOSIS

1. Portal hypertension and hyperdynamic circulation have been postulat ed to play a role in the pathogenesis of portal hypertensive gastropat hy, Administration of octreotide to portal hypertensive rats has been shown to reduce portal pressure and ameliorate hyperdynamic circulatio n. 2. This study investigated the effects of chronic administration of octreotide on systemic and portal haemodynamics and the development o f portal hypertensive gastropathy in carbon tetrachloride-induced cirr hotic rats. 3. After 12 weeks of cal bon tetrachloride induction, cirr hotic rats were randomly assigned to receive either placebo (5% dextro se in water) or octreotide (65 mu g/kg in 5% dextrose in water) subcut aneously twice daily for 10 days. Haemodynamic studies with a thermodi lution technique and gastric morphometric analyses were performed at 1 0 days after treatment, 4. In cirrhotic rats, octreotide treatment ind uced a significant increase in systemic vascular resistance (2.7 +/- 0 .2 versus 3.4 +/- 0.2 mmHg/ml.min(-1).100 g(-1), P < 0.05) and decreas e in portal pressure (12.5 +/- 1.2 versus 9.9 +/- 0.5 mmHg, P < 0.05) compared with placebo-treated rats. In addition, octreotide treatment significantly reduced the mean cross-sectional area of gastric mucosal vessels (2290 +/- 145 versus 1810 +/- 101 mu m(2), P < 0.05), 5. This study shows that chronic octreotide treatment ameliorates the develop ment of portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhotic rats. The effect: of octreotide on portal hypertensive gastropathy may, at least partly , he due to the alleviation of portal hypertension and hyperdynamic ci rculation.