An experimental study on histamine H2-receptor antagonist on calcium, gastrin and histamine induced gastric acid secretion in rat.

The suppressive effect of histamine H2-receptor antagonist, cimetidine, on gastric secretion was investigated in Ghosh-Schild rat. The study above was done in basal state under infusing normal saline (1 ml/h) and stimulated state by histamine-di-chloride (3.5 mg/kg-h), tetragastrin (50 mcg/kg-h) or calcium chloride (4 mg/kg-h). Dose related increase of cimetidine (1.7, 3.5, 7.0 and 14.0 mg/kg-h) were observed and correlated with the degree of inhibition of acid secretion. Cimetidine had a potent inhibitory activity on either basal and stimulated acid output by the agents above. Basal acid secretion was completely abolished by 3.5 mg/kg-h of cimetidine to the level of anacidity. The degree of inhibition by the same dose of cimetidine was different among the agents used as stimulant on acid secretion and it followed in the order of calcium, gastrin and histamine subsequently. This study indicated that histamine H2-receptor participated the gastric secretion induced by either gastrin or calcium other than histamine itself. This fact indicated the important role of endogenous histamine in gastric secretion induced by calcium and gastrin.