Ventromedial hypothalamic lesions and stomach ulcers: reduction by non-nutritive bulk ingested in the post lesion period

The effects of some dietary properties on stomach ulceration resulting from ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) brain lesions, were investigated in two experiments. In the first experiment two groups of rats received VMH lesions and one group received sham lesions. One of the lesioned groups was deprived of food and water during the 24 hr post lesion period, as was the sham lesioned group. The other lesioned group was given access to a highly palatable diet and water during the post lesion period. No stomach ulcers were found in the sham lesioned rats. The VMH lesioned group with access to food and water had less glandular stomach ulceration 24 hr after the lesion procedure than the VMH lesioned deprived group (p<0.01). In the second experiment four groups of rats received VMH lesions and were then given access to one of the following diets during the post lesion period: water, 16.7% sucrose solution, non-nutritive bulk (silica and methylcellulose), or bulk containing 16.7% sucrose. A multivariate analysis of variance was applied to five measures obtained in this experiment. The two groups receiving the bulk diets had significantly less stomach ulceration than the two groups given the liquid diets. Addition of the surcose to the liquid or bulk diet had no significant effect on gastric pathology. These experiments demonstrate that the ingestion of bulk diet in the post lesion period results in a reduction in gastric ulceration in the rat. And thus, similar to previous demonstrations that bulk diet has antiulcerogenic effects in other experimental procedures for gastric ulcer production (e.g., starvation, pylorus ligation, or electric shock), the present experiments demonstrate an antiulcerogenic property for bulk diet on stomach ulcers induced by VMH lesions.