An interaction between glucose and estrogen in gastric acid secretion in the lateral hypothalamic area of female rats.

Gastric acid outputs caused by glucose injection into the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) were examined in insulin hypoglycemia with or without estradiol-17 beta (EST) administration in bilaterally ovariectomized (OV) female rats. The basal level of acid output was higher in OV rats without EST than in OV rats with EST. When acid response was expressed as the percentage change, glucose injection into the LHA decreased acid output in a dose-dependent fashion in OV rats, while, in OV rats with EST, glucose injection into the LHA also reduced acid output without dose dependency. It was also noted that the threshold concentration of glucose that induced an acid response was lower in OV rats without EST than in OV rats with EST. These findings suggest that glucose-sensitive neurons responsible for gastric acid secretion can be modulated by estrogen at the LHA level.