Ultrastructural study on gastric mucosal injury induced with ammonium acetate in the rats with portacaval shunt

Abstract

The effect of hyperammonemia on the gastric mucosa were studied by light and electron microscope in the rat with portacaval shunt (PCS) in this paper.
Blood ammonia level was 120±46.7μg/dl in the rats with only PCS shunt operation. Transmission electron microscopic observation demonstrated slight edematous change under the surface mucous cells in the rats with only PCS, and severe edematous change under and between surface mucous cells in the PCS rats 30 minutes after intra-peritoneal injection of ammonium acetate. In the group with ammonium loading, the edematous change improved according to the decrease of blood ammonia. Obvious disruption of mucosal epithelial cells and deterioration of the fine vessels under the surface mucous cells, suggesting erosive change, were observed by electron microscopy in the rats with PCS 120 minutes after ammonium loading. The results of this experiment may suggest that hyperammonemia is one of the important factors in the etiology of gastric mucosal injury in the rats with PCS.