PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SOFALCONE AND 16,16-DIMETHYL-PGE2 ON ISOLATED RAT GASTRIC CELLS

The effects of 16,16-dimethylprostaglandin E2 (dm-PGE2) and sofalcone on damage caused by ethanol in surface epichelial cells isolated from rat stomach were examined. The surface epithelial cells (SECs) accounted for 83% of the solated gastric mucosal cells, mucus neck cells for 5%, parietal cells for 9%, and chief cells for 3%. To suspensions of SEC, either dm-PGE2 at concentrations of 10-7, 10-6, or 10-5M or sofalcone at concentrations from 5 × 10-6to 10-4M was added; some cells were treated with neither drug. Ten minutes later, ethanol was added to each cell suspeniion to a final concentration of 15%, and 5 min later the viability was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion. At 10-6M, dm-PGE2 reduced ethanol-induced cell damage most strongly (p < 0.001). Sofalcone also helped to prevent cell iamage caused by ethanol in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that dm-PGE2 and sofalcone protect gastric mucosa not only from gross visible damage but they lirectly protect gastric cells from damage. © 1990 Raven Press, Ltd., New York.