Antisecretory and gastroprotective effects of aescine in rats.

1. This study was designed to determine the antisecretory effects of aescine in the perfused stomach of the anaesthetized rat. In addition, the effects of aescine on mucosal lesions produced by intragastric instillation of 1 ml of absolute ethanol, its action on the production of mucus and the possible role of PGs in aescine induced gastroprotection were also studied. 2. Pretreatment of aescine (10 and 50 mg/kg) inhibited the increases in acid secretion induced by histamine (5 mg/kg) and carbachol (10 micrograms/kg). At the highest dose used abolished nearly the increase induced by carbachol (P < 0.001). 3. Aescine (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg) was found to be effective in the prevention of gastric ulceration induced by absolute ethanol in rats. The degree of gastroprotection decreased with time, the optime effects occurring 60-120 min after oral administration. Pretreatment with indomethacin (10 mg/kg) partially inhibited the gastric protection but the PGE2 determination did not show an increase in prostanoid levels. Furthermore, the protective effect was not associated with an increase in the amount of gastric mucus and glycoprotein content. 4. These results indicate that aescine exerts an antisecretory action which could play a possible role in its antiulcerogentic activity. Also it shows a marked protective mucosal activity which could be partly explained through non-prostaglandin dependent mechanisms involving its antiinflammatory and vasoactive properties.