Abstract

Rebamipide (2-(4-chlorobenzoylamino)-3-[2-(1H)-quinolinon-4-yl] propionic acid), a novel antiulcer agent, has been reported to prevent various acute experimental gastric mucosal lesions and to accelerate the healing of chronic gastric ulcers. We investigated the effect of rebamipide on rat gastric mucosa damaged by exposure to 30 min of ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion (I/R) with continuous intragastric instillation of 0.1 N HCl (1 ml/100 g body weight) into the stomach. Rebamipide, at 30 and 100 mg/kg, i.p., reduced the mucosal damage score from 2.28 (I/R vehicle group) to 1.54 and 1.07, respectively. Pretreatment with rebamipide significantly reduced the activity of myeloperoxidase (an index of neutrophil infiltration) and preserved the activities of superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide synthase in the gastric mucosa with inhibition of malondialdehyde production. Thus, a negative correlation between the activities of nitric oxide synthase and myeloperoxidase (y = 4.35-9.45x, r = .67, P < .01) was observed. In an in vitro study, rebamipide inhibited N-formyl-met-leu-phe-induced chemotaxis of neutrophils and production of superoxide anion from opsonized zymosan-stimulated neutrophils. However, it did not affect the production of superoxide anion either by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated neutrophils. Based on these results, it is suggested that rebamipide exerts a protective effect on the I/R-induced gastric mucosal damage through inhibition of mobilization and activation of neutrophils in association with an attenuation of the decreases in both superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide synthase activities, thereby preventing the gastric microcirculation from deterioration.