Acid secretory and duodenal ulcerogenic responses induced by mepirizole in anesthetized rats. Relation to body temperature.

The role of body temperature in the acid stimulatory mechanism by mepirizole, a duodenal ulcerogen, was investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats. Subcutaneous administration of mepirizole (60 and 200 mg/kg) increased acid secretion in a dose-dependent manner and resulted in duodenal lesions within 8 hr. The acid secretory and ulcerogenic responses induced by mepirizole were inhibited completely by vagotomy and significantly reduced by subcutaneous pretreatment with atropine (1 mg/kg), hexamethonium (10 mg/kg), or clonidine (1 mg/kg). During anesthesia, body temperature was decreased to 34 degrees C in control rats but further reduced to 31 degrees C after administration of mepirizole. When body temperature was maintained at 36 degrees C during a test period, mepirizole caused significantly less effect on acid secretion and produced less damage in the duodenum. In addition, intracisternal administration of antiserum of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH: 5 mu1/rat) also significantly inhibited acid hypersecretion and development of duodenal lesions in response to mepirizole. When acid output induced by mepirizole was plotted against duodenal lesion score from one group to another, a significant linear relationship was found between these two values (r = 0.814, P < 0.05). We conclude that mepirizole induced vagally mediated acid secretion and duodenal lesions in anesthetized rats. These responses may occur centrally in association with lowering of body temperature, which potentiates the acid stimulatory effect of mepirizole, probably through a TRH-dependent mechanism.