Abstract
The ulcer forming effect of glucocorticoids was experimentally studied in the rat glandular stomach. After administration of 10mg per day of cortison acetate for 4 days, multiple ulcers were formed in the mucosal stomach of the starbed rats. And also the other experiments were performed. Namely, 10 mg of cortison acetate were daily given into non-starbed rats for 10 days and 5mg were for 20 days. Then animals were killed and the mucous membrane were histochemically and electron microscopically examined and the following results were obtained.
1) Atrophy of the mucous membrane were noticed in all cases, and PAS positive cells were decreased in number and its staining intensity. The decrease was most prominent in ulcer forming areas.
2) In electron microscopic study, degenerative patterns of the epithelial cells were observed; condensation of the nuclear chromatin, swelling and destruction of mitochondria, increase of lysosomes, appearance of myelin figures and of focal cytoplasmic degeneration, swelling of Golgi complex etc.
3) Electron density of secretory granules in the mucous cells and chief cells was decreased.
