Extracellular mucus and repair of superficial mucosal injury by restitution.
Release of mucus as a consequence of superficial injury to the gastric mucosa appears to play an important role in providing a microenvironment suitable for rapid re-epithelialization, or restitution, to occur. Evidence is presented in this paper to support this hypothesis. Firstly, disruption of the cap of mucus which forms over a site of damage, either mechanically or through the topical application of mucolytic agents, results in retardation of the restitution process. Secondly, the mucoid cap is shown to act as a trap to plasma released as a consequence of the damage. Thirdly, the mucoid cap provides a region of high pH (4 to 6), despite the presence in the lumen of a solution with a pH of 1.3. Based on the data presented in this report, and previous work from this laboratory and others, a functional model for extracellular mucus in promoting mucosal restitution is proposed.
Wallace
J L
JL
Department of Physiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D009093:Mucus / Q000502:physiology; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D001798:Blood Proteins; D000431:Ethanol