Abstract
The gastrointestinal (GI) ulcerogenicity of tolmetin sodium was compared with those of aspirin and indomethacin, as representative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in rats. Ulcerogenic activity of tolmetin sodium administered orally was more potent in the stomach of the fasted rat than in the intestines of the fed rat, whereas indomethacin was more ulcerogenic in the intestines than in the stomach. Aspirin was ulcerogenic only in the stomach. In the gastric mucosa, tolmetin sodium, like aspirin but not indomethacin, produced far fewer lesions by the intravenous than by the oral route. However, tolmetin sodium, unlike aspirin, did not reduce the gastric acidity of the pylorus-ligated rat and was less ulcerogenic in the pylorus-ligated rat than in the intact rat. Consequently, the GI ulcerogenicity of tolmetin sodium appeared to be different in character from those of aspirin and indomethacin.
