THE EFFECT OF SEX HORMONES ON GASTRIC SECRETION IN THE RAT

PAWINEE PIYACHATURAWATANA and LIANGCHAI LIMLOMWONGSE

Summary: Experiments were performed to study the influence of sex hormones on gastric secretion in response to pentagastrin (130 g/100 g rat) by Shay's method. Adult rats were subjected to bilateral gonadectomy and treated with sex steroids (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone) in oil suspension from 1 to 14 days. There was no significant change in acid secretory activity between the male and female or in the gonadec. tomized rats. However, the gonadectomized rats of both sexes treated with estrogen showed a highly and statistically significant reduction (P < 0.001) in acid and pepsin secretions. When rats were treated with testosterone and progesterone, the gastric secretory activity did not change significantly from control. The histamine contents in the gastric mucosa were found to be the same in estrogen treated and normal rats. The number of the parietal cells was reduced, and the remaining showed some degree of atrophy. It was concluded that of all the sex hormones used, only estrogen had a significant effect on gastric secretion but the small reduction of parietal cell. number could not totally account for the inhibition observed.

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Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Rd., Bangkok, Thailand

Received 24 August 1978