Effect of moluodan on gastric secretion in atrophic gastritis rats

Objective To investigate the effect of moluodan on gastric secretion and the underlying mechanism of moluodan in treating atrophic gastritis. Method According to the random number table, 120 healthy male specific-pathogen-free (SPF) Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: control group, model group, moluodan low-dose group, and moluodan high-dose group, with 30 rats in each group. The control group was administered with normal saline 2 ml/d by gavage, the other three groups were administered with 2% sodium salicylate 1 ml/d, 20 mol/L sodium deoxycholate 1 ml/d, and N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) 200 mg/kg for every 10 days. And 16 weeks later, the control group and model group were treated with normal saline 2 ml/d by gavage, meanwhile the moluodan low-dose group was treated with moluodan 0.9 g·kg-1·d-1and the high-dose group was treated with moluodan 1.8 g·kg-1·d-1, continuously for 12 weeks. Ten rats of each group were sacrificed at the end of 4, 8, 12 weeks. The effect of moluodan on atrophic gastritis was observed. The secretion function of gastric mucosa was assessed through detecting the numbers of gastrin-secreting cells (G cells) and somatostatin-secreting cell (D cells) in gastric mucosa using immunochemical staining, and measuring the serum levels of gastrin (GAS) and somatostatin (SS) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results After 8 weeks, the numbers of G and D cells in gastric mucosa in the moluodan high-dose group significantly increased compared with the model group[(0.617±0.114) vs (0.476±0.116) cells/mm2, (0.504±0.084) vs (0.369±0.148) cells/mm2, both P<0.05]; the numbers of G and D cells in gastric mucosa in the low-dose group increased after 12-week′s treatment[(0.674±0.129) vs (0.528±0.103) cells/mm2, (0.526±0.087) vs (0.371±0.058) cells/mm2, both P<0.05]. The serum GAS levels increased markedly after 8 weeks in the moluodan high-dose group and after 12 weeks in the low-dose group[(1.313±0.080) ng/ml vs (0.964±0.080) ng/ml, (1.202±0.124) ng/ml vs (0.909±0.054) ng/ml, both P<0.01]; the serum SS levels in both high- and low-dose groups were significantly lower than in the model group after 8-week′s treatment[(2.376±0.199) ng/ml, (2.238±0.155) ng/ml vs (2.605±0.183) ng/ml, both P<0.05]. Conclusion Moluodan may treat atrophic gastritis by repairing G and D cells in gastric mucosa and thus increasing serum levels of GAS. Key words: Gastritis, atrophic; Gastrin-secreting cells; Somatostatin-secreting cells; Moluodan