Contribution of glucocorticoid hormones to gastroprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning in rats with normal and deficient prostaglandin production

: The study was designed to investigate whether glucocorticoid hormones participate in gastroprotective effects of ischemic preconditioning in rats with normal and deficient prostaglandin production. To estimate the role of glucocorticoids adrenalectomy followed by appropriate corticosterone replacement and inhibition of corticosterone synthesis by metyrapone were used. Prostaglandin synthesis was inhibited by indomethacin. In control rats gastric ischemic preconditioning (a 0.5 h ischemia-reperfusion) induced plasma corticosterone rise and attenuated gastric injury caused by 3.5 h ischemia-reperfusion. The gastroprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning was prevented by adrenalectomy as well as metyrapone pretreatment in both groups, in the rats with normal and deficient prostaglandin production. Acute corticosterone replacement to adrenalectomized rats during ischemic preconditioning restored the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning on the gastric mucosa even in the rats with inhibited prostaglandin synthesis. Thus, the glucocorticoid hormones were shown to contribute to gastroprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning in the rats with normal and deficient prostaglandin production.