This article reviews the pathogenic mechanism of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug(NSAID)-induced gastric damage,focusing on the relation between cyclooxygenase(COX) inhibition and various ...functional events.NSAIDs,such as indomethacin,at a dose that inhibits prostaglandin(PG) production,enhance gastric motility,resulting in an increase in mucosal permeability,neutrophil infiltration and oxyradical production,and eventually producing gastric lesions.These lesions are prevented by pretreatment with PGE 2 and antisecretory drugs,and also via an atropine-sensitive mechanism,not related to antisecretory action.Although neither rofecoxib(a selective COX-2 inhibitor) nor SC-560(a selective COX-1 inhibitor) alone damages the stomach,the combined administration of these drugs provokes gastric lesions.SC-560,but not rofecoxib,decreases prostaglandin E 2(PGE 2) production and causes gastric hypermotility and an increase in mucosal permeability.COX-2 mRNA is expressed in the stomach after administration of indomethacin and SC-560 but not rofecoxib.The up-regulation of indomethacin-induced COX-2 expression is prevented by atropine at a dose that inhibits gastric hypermotility.In addition,selective COX-2 inhibitors have deleterious influences on the stomach when COX-2 is overexpressed under various conditions,including adrenalectomy,arthritis,and Helicobacter pylori-infection.In summary,gastric hypermotility plays a primary role in the pathogenesis of NSAID-induced gastric damage,and the response,causally related with PG deficiency due to COX-1 inhibition,occurs prior to other pathogenic events such as increased mucosal permeability;and the ulcerogenic properties of NSAIDs require the inhibition of both COX-1 and COX-2,the inhibition of COX-1 upregulates COX-2 expression in association with gastric hypermotility,and PGs produced by COX-2 counteract the deleterious effect of COX-1 inhibition.
The influence of adrenalectomy on indomethacin-induced enteropathy in rats was examined and the possible involvement of adrenal glucocorticoids in protective effects of urocortin I, a CRF agonist, ...was investigated. Male SD rats were administered indomethacin (10 mg/kg) s.c., killed 24 h later, and small intestines were examined for hemorrhagic lesions. Urocortin I (20 μg/kg) was given i.v. 10 min before indomethacin. Bilateral adrenalectomy was performed a week before the experiment. Indomethacin caused hemorrhagic lesions in small intestines, accompanied by intestinal hypermotility, enterobacterial invasion and iNOS expression. Adrenalectomy markedly increased ulcerogenic and motility responses caused by indomethacin, with further enhanced bacterial invasion and iNOS expression. This worsening effect was reproduced by pretreatment with mifepristone. Urocortin I prevented indomethacin-induced enteropathy; this effect was abrogated by astressin 2B, a CRF2 receptor antagonist, but was not affected by either adrenalectomy or mifepristone pretreatment. These results suggest that adrenalectomy aggravates indomethacin-induced enteropathy, and intestinal hypermotility response may be the key element in the mechanism underlying this aggravation, while endogenous glucocorticoids play a role in intestinal mucosal defense against these lesions but do not account for protective effects of urocortin I, which are mediated by peripheral CRF2 receptors.
NSAID-induced enteropathy has been the focus of recent basic and clinical research subsequent to the development of the capsule endoscope and double-balloon endoscope. We review the possible ...pathogenic mechanisms underlying NSAID-induced enteropathy and discuss the role of the inhibition of COX-1/COX-2 and the influences of food as well as various prophylactic treatments on these lesions.
Studies were performed in experimental animals.
Multiple factors, such as intestinal hypermotility, decreased mucus secretion, enterobacteria, and upregulation of iNOS/NO expression, are involved in the pathogenesis of NSAID-induced enteropathy, in addition to the decreased production of PGs due to the inhibition of COX. Enterobacterial invasion is the most important pathogenic event, and intestinal hypermotility, which was associated with this event, is essential for the development of these lesions. NSAIDs also upregulate the expression of COX-2, and the inhibition of both COX-1 and COX-2 is required for the intestinal ulcerogenic properties of NSAIDs to manifest. NSAID-induced enteropathy is prevented by PGE2, atropine, ampicillin, and aminoguanidine as well as soluble dietary fiber, and exacerbated by antisecretory drugs such as proton pump inhibitors.
These findings on the pathogenesis of NSAID-induced enteropathy will be useful for the future development of intestinal-sparing alternatives to standard NSAIDs.
Although the morbidity of ulcers is statistically higher in males than females, the mechanism of this difference remains unknown. Recent studies show that duodenal HCO3 - response to mucosal ...acidification is higher in females than males, and this may be a factor responsible for the sex difference in the mucosal protective mechanisms. In this article, we examined the duodenal HCO3 - responses to various stimuli in male and female rats, including estrogen, and reviewed the mechanisms responsible for the sex difference in the acid-induced HCO3 - secretion. Mucosal acidification was performed by exposing the duodenum to 10 mM HCl for 10 min. PGE2 was administered intravenously, while capsaicin was applied topically to the duodenum for 10 min. Tamoxifen was given s.c. 30 min before the acidification. Ovariectomy was performed 2 weeks before the experiments; half of the animals were given estrogen i.m. after the operation. Mucosal acidification increased duodenal HCO3 - secretion in male rats, and this response was inhibited by indomethacin and sensory deafferentation. Although no sex difference was found in HCO3 - responses to PGE2 and capsaicin, the response to acid was significantly greater in female than male rats. The different HCO3 - response to acid disappeared on ovariectomy, and this effect was totally reversed by the repeated administration of estrogen. The gene expression of ASIC3 in female rats was greater than in male rats and down-regulated by ovariectomy or tamoxifen treatment in an estradiol- dependent manner, while no sex difference was observed in TRPV1 and CFTR expressions. In conclusion, the acid-induced HCO3 - response is greater in female than male rats, and this phenomenon is not due to changes in PGE2 sensitivity or TRPV1/CFTR expressions but may be accounted for by increased expression of ASIC3 on sensory neurons, which is associated with the chronic influence of estrogen.
Antisecretory drugs such as histamine H2-receptor antagonists (H2-RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers induced by nonsteroidal ...anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, the effects of these drugs on NSAID-induced small intestinal ulcers are not fully understood. The effects of H2-RAs and PPIs on NSAID-induced gastrointestinal lesions and small intestinal motility were examined in rats. Male Wistar rats (180-220 g) were used. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg) was administered orally in fasted or fed rats, and gastrointestinal lesions were examined 24 h after indomethacin administration. Intestinal motility was measured by using a balloon method under urethane anesthesia. Indomethacin produced multiple lesions in the gastric corpus in fasted rats and in the small intestine in fed rats: 1) H2-RAs (cimetidine, ranitidine, and famotidine) and PPIs (omeprazole, lansoprazole, and rabeprazole) markedly inhibited the formation of gastric lesions. 2) The drugs, except for lansoprazole, increased intestinal lesions. 3) H2-RAs augmented the increase in intestinal motility caused by indomethacin, and the effects of H2-RAs on motility and intestinal lesions were markedly inhibited by atropine. 4) Lansoprazole inhibited the formation of intestinal lesions, and the effect was prevented by both pharmacological ablation of capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurons and pretreatment with N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, a selective inhibitor of nitric-oxide synthesis. The results suggest that: 1) inhibition of acid secretion by antisecretory drugs may exacerbate NSAID-induced intestinal lesions, 2) H2-RAs further aggravate lesions by increasing intestinal motility via the activation of cholinergic pathways, and 3) lansoprazole protects the intestinal mucosa against NSAID-related ulcerative stimuli.
G protein-coupled receptor 40/free fatty acid receptor 1 (GPR40/FFA(1)) is highly expressed in pancreatic β cells and mediates free fatty acid-induced insulin secretion. This study examined the ...pharmacological effects and potential for avoidance of lipotoxicity of (3S)-6-({2',6'-dimethyl-4'-3-(methylsulfonyl)propoxybiphenyl-3-yl}meth-oxy)-2,3-dihydro-1-benzofuran-3-ylacetic acid hemi-hydrate) (TAK-875), a novel, orally available, selective GPR40 agonist. Insulinoma cell lines and primary rat islets were used to assess the effects of TAK-875 in vitro. The in vivo effects of TAK-875 on postprandial hyperglycemia, fasting hyperglycemia, and normoglycemia were examined in type 2 diabetic and normal rats. In rat insulinoma INS-1 833/15 cells, TAK-875 increased intracellular inositol monophosphate and calcium concentration, consistent with activation of the Gqα signaling pathway. The insulinotropic action of TAK-875 (10 μM) in INS-1 833/15 and primary rat islets was glucose-dependent. Prolonged exposure of cytokine-sensitive INS-1 832/13 to TAK-875 for 72 h at pharmacologically active concentrations did not alter glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, insulin content, or caspase 3/7 activity, whereas prolonged exposure to palmitic or oleic acid impaired β cell function and survival. In an oral glucose tolerance test in type 2 diabetic N-STZ-1.5 rats, TAK-875 (1-10 mg/kg p.o.) showed a clear improvement in glucose tolerance and augmented insulin secretion. In addition, TAK-875 (10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly augmented plasma insulin levels and reduced fasting hyperglycemia in male Zucker diabetic fatty rats, whereas in fasted normal Sprague-Dawley rats, TAK-875 neither enhanced insulin secretion nor caused hypoglycemia even at 30 mg/kg. TAK-875 enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion and improves both postprandial and fasting hyperglycemia with a low risk of hypoglycemia and no evidence of β cell toxicity.
Esophagitis was induced in rats within 3 h by ligating both the pylorus and transitional region between the forestomach and glandular portion under ether anesthesia. This esophageal injury was ...prevented by the administration of acid suppressants and antipepsin drug and aggravated by exogenous pepsin. Damage was also aggravated by pretreatment with indomethacin and the selective COX-1 but not COX-2 inhibitor, whereas PGE2 showed a biphasic effect depending on the dose; a protection at low doses, and an aggravation at high doses, with both being mediated by EP1 receptors. Various amino acids also affected this esophagitis in different ways; L-alanine and L-glutamine had a deleterious effect, while L-arginine and glycine were highly protective, both due to yet unidentified mechanisms. It is assumed that acid/pepsin plays a major pathogenic role in this model of esophagitis; PGs derived from COX-1 are involved in mucosal defense of the esophagus; and some amino acids are protective against esophagitis. These findings also suggest a novel therapeutic approach in the treatment of esophagitis, in addition to acid suppressant therapy. The model introduced may be useful to test the protective effects of drugs on esophagitis and investigate the mucosal defense mechanism in the esophagus.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as indomethacin decrease mucosal PGE
2 content by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX) activity and produce damage in the small intestine. The ...development of intestinal lesions induced by indomethacin was accompanied by increases in intestinal motility, enterobacterial invasion, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity, together with the up-regulation of COX-2 and iNOS mRNA expression. Neither SC-560, a selective COX-1 inhibitor, nor rofecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, alone caused intestinal damage, but their combined administration provoked lesions in the small intestine. SC-560, but not rofecoxib, caused intestinal hypermotility, bacterial invasion and the expression of COX-2 as well as iNOS mRNA, yet the iNOS and MPO activity was increased only when rofecoxib was administered together with SC-560. Although SC-560 inhibited PG production, the level of PGE
2 recovered in a rofecoxib-dependent manner. The intestinal hypermotility in response to indomethacin was prevented by both 16,16-dimethyl PGE
2 and atropine but not by ampicillin, yet all these agents inhibited not only the bacterial invasion but also the expression of COX-2 as well as the iNOS activity in the intestinal mucosa following indomethacin treatment, thereby preventing the intestinal damage. These results suggest that inhibition of COX-1, despite causing intestinal hypermotility, bacterial invasion and iNOS expression, up-regulates the expression of COX-2, and the PGE
2 derived from COX-2 counteracts the deleterious events caused by COX-1 inhibition and maintains mucosal integrity. These sequences of events explain why intestinal damage occurs when both COX-1 and COX-2 are inhibited.
Endogenous prostaglandins (PGs) play an important role in modulating the mucosal integrity and various functions of the gastrointestinal tract, and E type PGs are most effective in these actions. ...PGE2 protected against acid-reflux esophagitis and prevented the development of gastric damage induced by ethanol or indomethacin, the effects mimicked by EP1 agonists and attenuated by an EP1 antagonist. Adaptive cytoprotection induced by mild irritants was also attenuated by the EP1 antagonist. On the other hand, the acid-induced duodenal damage was prevented by EP3/EP4 agonists and worsened by EP3/EP4 antagonists. Similarly, the protective effect of PGE2 on indomethacin-induced small intestinal damage or DSS-induced colitis was mimicked by EP3/EP4 agonists or EP4 agonists, respectively. The mechanisms underlying these actions of PGE2 are related to inhibition of stomach contraction (EP1), stimulation of duodenal HCO3− secretion (EP3/EP4), inhibition of small intestinal contraction (EP4), and stimulation of mucus secretion (EP3/EP4) or down-regulation of cytokine secretion in the colon (EP4), respectively. PGE2 also showed a healing-promoting effect on gastric ulcers and intestinal lesions through the activation of EP4 receptors, the effect associated with stimulation of angiogenesis via an increase in VEGF expression. These findings should aid the development of new strategies for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.