Indomethacin inhibits cell proliferation and increases cell losses in rat gastrointestinal epithelium

Gastrointestinal cell proliferation was estimated in histological sections of rats treated with low and high doses of parenteral indomethacin for 3 to 60 days. Mitoses were arrested with vincristine and cells in S phase were labeled with tritiated thymidine. Short-term, low-dose treatments reduced the mitotic activity in the oxyntic and small intestinal epithelium, whereas moderate doses restored the mitotic index and high doses increased the proliferative activity and produced epithelial hyperplasia. Long-term, low-dose treatments increased cell proliferation in the small intestine and reduced the number of villous cells. Indomethacin did not affect the proliferative response elicited by refeeding in the oxyntic mucosa, but the simultaneous administration of prostaglandin E₂ analog increased the number of arrested mitoses. The turnover of labeled cells was accelerated by indomethacin, particularly in the small intestine. These findings indicate that prostaglandins are regulators of the cell kinetics of the gastrointestinal epithelium but, at the same time, they disclose the presence of trophic mechanisms that are independent of the synthesis of endogenous prostaglandins.