Effects of active oxygen species on damage to and prostaglandin synthesis in cultured rat gastric cells.

Active oxygen species cause gastric mucosal damage in vivo. However, it is not known if these species are directly cytotoxic toward gastric cells. Prostaglandins have important physiological roles in the gastric mucosa, including direct cell protection against damaging factors. So, to find if active oxygen species affect prostaglandin synthesis in gastric mucosal cells is important, but this also is not known. This study was done to investigate the effects of such species on damage to and prostaglandin synthesis in cultured mucus-producing cells from rat gastric mucosa. Active oxygen species were produced by the addition of xanthine and xanthine oxidase to the culture medium. Cytotoxicity was assayed by 51Cr release. Xanthine (1 mM) and xanthine oxidase (100 mU/ml) increased specific 51Cr release as the thiobarbituric acid reactants increased. This increase in 51Cr release was inhibited by catalase, a scavenger of hydrogen peroxide, or dimethyl sulfoxide, a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals, but not by superoxide dismutase, a scavenger of superoxide, nor deferoxamine, an inhibitor of hydroxyl radical generation. Catalase, dimethyl sulfoxide, and superoxide dismutase each had no effect on prostaglandin E2 synthesis when xanthine and xanthine oxidase were not added. In the presence of xanthine and xanthine oxidase, catalase and dimethyl sulfoxide stimulated the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and superoxide dismutase inhibited it. Indomethacin, a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, did not affect the decrease in 51Cr release caused by catalase in the presence of xanthine and xanthine oxidase, but it abolished the decrease caused by dimethyl sulfoxide. These results suggest that hydrogen peroxide, but not superoxide nor hydroxyl radicals, is involved in damage to cultured rat gastric cells, and that superoxide stimulates prostaglandin E2 synthesis, but that hydrogen peroxide inhibits it. Protection of the cells by dimethyl sulfoxide may be related to stimulation of prostaglandin E2 synthesis in the cells, but not via scavenging hydroxyl radicals.