Effect of intragastric ammonia on gastrin-, somatostatin-and somatostatin receptor subtype 2 positive-cells in rat antral mucosa.

Somatostatin suppresses gastrin and somatostatin secretion via somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). Ammonia produced by Helicobacter pylori has been reported to modify gastric gastrin and somatostatin levels. We investigated the distribution of SSTR-subtype 2 (SSTR-2) in relation to gastrin- and somatostatin-containing cells and the effect of ammonia solution (0.01%-0.1%) administered orally for 2 to 4 weeks on these cells in rat antral mucosa by immunohistochemistry. The majority of SSTR-2 peptide [31-41]-positive cells were located in the basal third of the glands. Double staining experiments revealed that SSTR-2 peptide [31-41]-positive cells are co-localized in 85.0 +/- 2.2% of the gastrin-containing cells and in 34.4 +/- 4.8% of the somatostatin-containing cells. Ammonia solution significantly decreased the number of somatostatin-containing cells and increased the proportion of SSTR-2 peptide [31-41]-labeling in the somatostatin-containing cells in a duration-dependent manner. Maximum changes were observed in rats treated with ammonia solution at the lowest level of 0.01% accompanied by an increase in serum gastrin levels in the portal vein. Sodium hydroxide at the similar pH to 0.01% ammonia solution had no effect. These findings suggest that SSTR-2 are localized in antral endocrine cells and that ammonia solution mainly decreases somatostatin-containing cells without SSTR-2 expression, resulting in an increase in gastrin secretion into the portal vein.