Volume 17, Issue 39, January - June, 2023

Protection by gabapentin against indomethacin and ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in the rat. A histological and histochemical study

Omar ME Abdel-Salam^1♦, Nermeen Shaffie²

¹Department of Toxicology and Narcotics, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
²Department of Pathology, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Toxicology and Narcotics, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Tahrir Street, Dokki, Cairo Egypt

ABSTRACT

Gabapentin is an antiepileptic drug which is widely used to treat chronic neuropathic pain. In this study, the effect of gabapentin on gastric mucosal damage induced in the rat by indomethacin or 96% ethanol was examined. Rats were treated with indomethacin at a dose of 20 mg/kg subcutaneously (s.c.) for two consecutive days or 96% ethanol (1 ml, intragastrically) alone or in combination with the gabapentin at doses of 25, 50 or 100 mg/kg, given intraperitoneally (i.p.). Rats were euthanized 48 hr after indomethacin or 1h after ethanol administration when stomachs were removed, opened and subjected to histological and histochemical investigation. Results showed that indomethacin caused severe exfoliation of the gastric epithelial cells as well as disruption of mucosal layer of stomach. The intragastric administration of 96% ethanol caused massive destruction of the upper two thirds of the gastric mucosa and marked vascular dilatation and congestion. Either ulcerogenic agent resulted in markedly decreased in the normal distribution of the neutral mucopolysaccharides assessed by Periodic acid Schiff’s (PAS) stain staining. Gabapentin given at doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg conferred remarkable and dose-dependent protective activity against gastric mucosal damage caused by indomethacin or 96% ethanol. Also, the distribution and magnitude of the PAS positive reaction were essentially normal following the administration of gabapentin at a dose of 100 mg. These findings imply that gabapentin protects against ethanol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced damage to the gastric mucosa.

Keywords: Gabapentin; gastric ulcer; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; gastric mucosa; indomethacin; prostaglandins; cyclooxygenase

Drug Discovery, 2023, 17(39), e14dd1014

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v17i39.e14dd1014

Published: 14 March 2023