title: Involvement of capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurons in stress-induced gastroduodenal mucosal injury in rats.
abstract: The pathogenesis of stress-induced gastroduodenal mucosal injury is complex and incompletely understood. The aim of this investigation was to examine the involvement of gastric and duodenal capsaicin-sensitive neurons in mucosal damage associated with water-restraint stress (WRS) in rats. Following WRS, gastroduodenal mucosal injury was quantitated by macroscopic and microscopic methods. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) content was measured by radioimmunoassay. WRS-induced mucosal erosive injury in the stomach and duodenum (40.9 +/- 4.2 and 5.1 +/- 0.6 mm2, respectively) was reduced significantly (by 88% and 67%, respectively) by acute intragastric capsaicin administration prior to WRS. In contrast, sensory denervation by chronic capsaicin significantly increased the area of gastric injury and duodenal damage. WRS alone caused a significant reduction (by 52% and -35%, respectively) in gastric and duodenal CGRP content, which was prevented by acute capsaicin treatment. The data suggest that gastric and duodenal sensory neurons and CGRP are involved in the pathogenesis of stress-induced mucosal injury to the stomach and duodenum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Oklahoma City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ojeas
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lightfoot
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kida
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brewer
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Harty
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002211:Capsaicin