Protective effect of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine pretreatment on stress ulcer formation in rats

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine. (PPC) pretreatment has any protective effect on gastric mucosal damage induced by cold-restraint stress (CRS) in rats. Methods: Forty swiss albino rats were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 (n = 10) was control, group 2 (n = 15) was stress ulcer, and group 3 (n = 15) was PPC-treated rats with stress ulcer. Stress ulcer was induced by the cold-restraint method for 4 hours at 4degreesC after a starvation period of 72 hours. In the group 3 rats, PPC treatment was started 10 days before stress at a dose of 100 mg/d by oral route. Rats were terminated, stomachs were excised. Macroscopic ulcer index (UI), gastric tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, plasma total nitrite, and erythrocyte catalase (CAT) concentrations were assayed. Results: Histopathologic examination showed a stress ulcer index of 0.12 +/- 0.19 mm in the treatment group and 23.6 +/- 8.97 mm in the stress ulcer group (P < .001). Tissue MDA and SOD concentrations were higher in the stress ulcer group than in the treatment group, the differences were statistically significant (P < .001). Plasma NO3- + NO2- levels were higher (P < .005) and CAT levels were lower (P < .001) in the nontreatment group. There were no significant differences with respect to UI, MDA, and SOD levels among the control and treatment groups (P > .05). Conclusions: These results suggest that pretreating rats with PPC inhibits cold-restraint stress-induced gastric mucosal injury and might be useful in preventing stress-induced stomach ulcers. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.