Gastric mucosal endogenous prostacyclin levels are different in Brattleboro rats compared with Wistar strain

Homozygous Brattleboro rats were investigated and compared to normal (physi ological) Wistar strain rats regarding their gastric mucosal endogenous pro stacyclin (PG-I-2) level. It seems that the Brattleboro animals have a sign ificantly lower level of this important protective material. Wistar rats ha ving an artificial pituitary stalk lesion (which is the artificial equivale nt of homozygous Brattleboro animals) showed no differences in endogenous m ucosal prostacyclin level compared to normal Wistar rats. Therefore, we con cluded that this hitherto unknown property of the homozygous Brattleboro ra ts is genetically determined. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.