Influence of Hydrocortisone on the Development of the Gastric Mucosa in Suckling Rats

Abstract

The effect of a 6-day hydrocortisone administration on the development of gastric mucosa was investigated in suckling rats. Three doses of hydrocortisone (40, 20 and 5 mg/kg/day) were given during the 2nd week of life. Gastric morphometric parameters, and exocrine parietal cell and endocrine gastrin cell numbers were examined and gastrin content in antral tissue was determined. At the end of hydrocortisone treatment, parietal and chief cells were well differentiated. Their larger size was marked in comparison with controls, which likely explains in itself the significant increase in gastric mucosal height. Only the highest dose significantly increased antral gastrin content over control values. However, hydrocortisone, whatever the dose, reduced the apparent antral gastrin cell population by about 60% (p < 0.001), without noticeably modifying the numerical density of parietal cells per unit of fundic surface. It is nevertheless likely that the highest dose diminished total parietal cell number since the gastric surface decreased. These results suggest that glucocorticoids affect the development of the gastrin cell population while greatly accelerating the maturation of these cells during the suckling period.

Cell proliferation and death in the gastric epithelium of developing rats after glucocorticoid treatments

“…In fact, treated pups seemed to gain weight at a slower rate than the control group. Our results corroborate other studies that showed that whatever the dose, the long‐term treatment impairs the growth of body weight of suckling rats (Tseng and Johnson, 1986; Puccio and Lehy, 1988).…”

“…In the current study we worked above the physiological range of glucocorticoid circulating levels in vivo (25 and 50 mg/Kg) and at a low concentration in vitro (50 ng/ml). Such dosages have been used before by others (Kuwayama and Eastwood, 1988; Puccio and Lehy, 1988; Gama and Alvares, 1998; Yeomans et al, 1976) and the results obtained suggest that glucocorticoids: a) affect the body growth of rats during postnatal development; b) inhibit cell proliferation of the gastric epithelium of fetuses and suckling pups; c) induce apoptosis after short periods of treatment and the cells of the bottom of the gland are the ones mostly affected. Taken together, the data presented here connects cell proliferation inhibiton and apoptosis in the gastric mucosa after the glucocorticoid treatment.…”

Cell proliferation and death in the gastric epithelium of developing rats after glucocorticoid treatments

“…In fact, treated pups seemed to gain weight at a slower rate than the control group. Our results corroborate other studies that showed that whatever the dose, the long-term treatment impairs the growth of body weight of suckling rats (Tseng and Johnson, 1986;Puccio and Lehy, 1988).…”

“…In the current study we worked above the physiological range of glucocorticoid circulating levels in vivo (25 and 50 mg/Kg) and at a low concentration in vitro (50 ng/ml). Such dosages have been used before by others (Kuwayama and Eastwood, 1988;Puccio and Lehy, 1988;Gama and Alvares, 1998;Yeomans et al, 1976) and the results obtained suggest that glucocorticoids: a) affect the body growth of rats during postnatal development; b) inhibit cell proliferation of the gastric epithelium of fetuses and suckling pups; c) induce apoptosis after short periods of treatment and the cells of the bottom of the gland are the ones mostly affected. Taken together, the data presented here connects cell proliferation inhibiton and apoptosis in the gastric mucosa after the glucocorticoid treatment.…”