Effects of cimetidine on adenylate cyclase activity of guinea pig gastric mucosa stimulated by histamine, sodium fluoride and 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate.

Cimetidine, a recently developed histamine H2-receptor blocking agent has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of histamine-stimulated gastric acid secretion in rat, cat, dog and man. To study the mode of action of cimetidine the modification of stimulatory effects of histamine, sodium flouride and 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate by cimetidine on the adenylate cyclase activity of guinea pig gastric mucosa was studied. The effect of cimetidine was also compared to that of metiamide, an older histamine H2-receptor antagonist. The effect of cimetidine was qualitatively similar to that of metiamide, i.e. a selective blockade of histamine H2-receptors. Quantitatively cimetidine was about 10-fold more potent than metiamide.