Administration of omeprazole to rats for one year produces reciprocal effects on antral gastrin and somatostatin cells and no effect on endocrine cells in the colon.

Inhibition of acid secretion with high doses of antisecretagogues, such as omeprazole, is known to raise the plasma gastrin levels. In the present study, we examined the effect of long-term (1-year) treatment of female rats with high doses of omeprazole on the density of antral gastrin and somatostatin cells. A possible effect on the endocrine cell density (chromogranin A as marker) and mucosal thickness of the colon was also examined. The plasma gastrin level in the omeprazole-treated rats was increased 15-fold compared with the level in the controls. The gastrin cell density, on the other hand, showed only a 2-fold increase. The somatostatin cell density in the omeprazole-treated rats was half that in the controls, indicating an inverse relationship between antral gastrin and somatostatin. In the colonic mucosa, neither the mucosal thickness nor the number of chromogranin-A-containing endocrine cells were affected by the omeprazole-induced hypergastrinemia. The results indicate that long-term acid inhibition results in a sustained hypergastrinemia, a modest and stable antral gastrin cell hyperplasia, antral somatostatin cell hypoplasia and lack of trophic effects in the colon.