We have recently found that interleukin-1 (IL-1) acts in the central nervous system to potently inhibit gastric acid and pepsin secretion in rats. In the present study, we examined the effects of IL-1 on the development of gastric mucosal lesions induced by intracisternal (i.c.) thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), a neuropeptide known to centrally stimulate gastric secretion. Pretreatment with i.c. injected IL-1 (10 ng/rat) significantly suppressed the severity of TRH-induced gastric erosions. On the other hand, the same dose of i.c. injected IL-1 failed to exert a cytoprotective action for the gastric mucosa against orally administered absolute ethanol. These results suggest that IL-1 has an anti-ulcer effect mainly through its inhibitory action on gastric secretion.