The presentation and organization of adaptive cytoprotection in the rat stomach, duodenum, and colon. Dedicated to André Robert the founder of the concept of cytoprotection and adaptive cytoprotection.
BACKGROUND
Adaptive cytoprotection could be demonstrated in lesion attenuation within the whole gastrointestinal tract, in particular sequences, with onset and duration longer than the initial short-lasting period (i.e. one hour) defined by Robert in the stomach only.


METHODS
Adaptive cytoprotection possibly appeared and lesions were attenuated when the stomach, duodenum or colon, in various combinations and sequences, were challenged with initial (mild) and/or final (strong) irritants over a two-week period. Rats were challenged with the mild or strong irritants 25% or 96% ethanol intragastrically 1 ml/rat (stomach) and cysteamine 40 mg or 400 mg/kg subcutaneously (duodenum), or intrarectally (colon). To postulate the prostaglandin relationship known in Robert's cytoprotection and adaptive cytoprotection, indomethacin (1 mg/kg subcutaneously) was given simultaneously with the second challenge.


RESULTS
Administering the mild and strong irritant protocols within the same part of the gastrointestinal tract, adaptive cytoprotection presents in the stomach (1 h to 14 days), duodenum (2 h to 14 days), but not in the colon. With these protocols applied to different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, adaptive cytoprotection cross-reaction was evident in the stomach-duodenum, duodenum-stomach (1 h-14 days and 2 h-14 days), stomach-colon, and duodenum-colon (both 2-24 hours), but not in the colon-stomach or colon-duodenum. This protection was fully antagonized with indomethacin.


CONCLUSIONS
As observed for a day and even weeks, stomach-duodenum-colon adaptive cytoprotection is an important new defensive phenomenon.
Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Stjepan
S
Mise
Ante
A
Tonkic
Valdi
V
Pesutic
Marija
M
Tonkic
Sandro
S
Mise
Vesna
V
Capkun
Lovorka
L
Batelja
Alenka Boban
AB
Blagaic
Neven
N
Kokic
Ivan
I
Zoricic
Davor
D
Saifert
Tomislav
T
Anic
Sven
S
Seiwerth
Predrag
P
Sikiric
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003543:Cysteamine / Q000633:toxicity; D004386:Duodenum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007509:Irritants / Q000633:toxicity*; D009336:Necrosis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D007509:Irritants; D000431:Ethanol; D003543:Cysteamine