title: A possible molecular basis for the effect of gastric anti-ulcerogenic drugs.
abstract: The exact mechanism of action of the anti-ulcerogenic drugs is still under debate. According to the literature, under normal conditions the cAMP:cGMP ratio in the rat gastric mucosa is approximately 8:10. Following prostacyclin administration, this ratio transiently decreases but later shows a strong elevation, indicating profound changes in the intracellular cyclic nucleotide balance. There is evidence that this elevation or 'shift' in the cAMP:cGMP ratio is linked, on a cellular or molecular level, to the anti-ulcerogenic, cytoprotective processes in the stomach. Cimetidine and ranitidine (widely used H2 receptor-blocking drugs) administered at doses that are too low to interfere with gastric acid secretion, cause an elevation in the cAMP:cGMP ratio, an effect that is also observed with other prostaglandin derivatives and anti-ulcerogenic drugs. In this article, Gabor A. Balint discusses these data and how the elevation of the gastric mucosal cAMP:cGMP ratio is a useful molecular marker that could provide insights into the effects of anti-ulcerogenic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Balint
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011899:Ranitidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D002927:Cimetidine; D011899:Ranitidine; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D006152:Cyclic GMP