Fructose-induced metabolic disturbances in rats and its impact on stomach endocrine cell number and smooth muscle contractility.

CONTEXT: Gastric ghrelin-positive endocrine cells (GHR + EC) were most dense in the oxyntic mucosa.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated ECs and contractile activity in rat stomach with metabolic disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: Control (n = 9) received tap water and Fructose (n = 9) drank 15% fructose solution for 12 weeks. Streptozotocin was applied in a dose of 20 mg/kg b.w. two weeks after the beginning of the experiment on Fructose group. Smooth-muscle strips from the stomach were influenced by Angiotensin II for analysis of parameters of contractions. Stomach samples were elaborated with immunohistochemistry for ghrelin, somatostatin, gastrin antibodies and with double immunofluorescence.

RESULTS: In treated animals, GHR + EC were significantly increased in the corpus where somatostatin-positive cells were decreased. Contractile activity was decreased.

CONCLUSIONS: The increase number of GHR + EC was discussed in the context of Somatostatin and Gastrin-positive ECs variations and correlated with the decrease of smooth muscle contraction.