title: A study on the protective activity of kefir against gastric ulcer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of kefir on peptic ulcer disease was evaluated in an experimental model, with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, together with the determination of gastric mucus secretion by quantitative digital histochemistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experimental group included 28 male albino Wistar rats. After a diet with standard rat bait for 7 days, 14 rats were fed with kefir for 7 days while the others were kept on the same diet. At the 14th day, indomethacin was injected to 7 of the rats fed on kefir and to 7 of the rats on standard rat bait. All the rats were sacrificed after 4 hours. Gastric erosion and ulceration were scored histopathologically. Mucosal mucus was quantified by image analysis, and periodic acid-Schiff stained area percentage was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Erosion and ulceration were identified only in cases that received indomethacin. In the cases on kefir, erosion was identified in 6 cases (86%) and ulceration in 1 case. Rats fed on standard diet had erosion in 4 cases (57%) and ulceration in 3 (43%), but the difference was statistically insignificant (Mann-Whitney test, p=0.25). The stained area percentage for gastric mucus was not different between the four groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, p=0.313).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that kefir does not change gastric mucus secretion. Although statistically insignificant, as there were more cases with ulceration in cases on the rat diet, kefir might have a beneficial effect on peptic ulcer disease induced by non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug. This requires further evaluation in larger series.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Dokuz Eylül University, School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yahya T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Orhan
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karagözlü
authors.forename: Sülen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarioğlu
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Nergiz
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Murat
authors.forename: Sedef
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gıdener
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D043302:Cultured Milk Products; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007213:Indomethacin; D008297:Male; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D007213:Indomethacin