Abstract
Vacuolation of gastric parietal cells was studied in guinea pigs chronically given high doses of omeprazole (OPZ) with or without the antioxidant α-tocopherol. Animals were divided into two groups: one group was treated with OPZ alone (20mg/kg); and the other, with OPZ (20mg/kg) plus α-tocopherol (50mg/kg). After 4 weeks of administration, the histological changes in the parietal cells and lipid peroxide formation in the gastric mucosa were assessed. The α-tocopherol concentration of the gastric mucosa after α-tocopherol administration was also measured. Parietal cell vacuolation was completely inhibited in the group given OPZ and α-tocopherol concomitantly, and lipid peroxidation levels were also significantly lower than in the group given OPZ alone. The α-tocopherol concentration of the gastric mucosa was increased significantly by α-tocopherol. These findings suggest that lipid peroxidation by OPZ is involved in parietal cell vacuolar degeneration when high doses of OPZ are administered for long periods.
