Influence of method of feeding on stress ulcer development in the rat.

Maintenance of rats on total parenteral nutrition for 10 days increased the susceptibility of these animals to gastric ulceration and death due to cold-temperature restraint stress. Animals fed the identical diet orally were much less susceptible. Serum gastrin concentrations were increased by stress in both groups of animals despite initially low serum levels. Glucosamine synthetase specific activity was not altered by the method of feeding but tended to be decreased by restraint. These results suggest that orally administered food protects the animal from stress-induced damage by a mechanism(s) involving neither dietary composition nor gastrin.