Comparative study of gastric lesions induced by stress and ethanol in rats

OBJECTIVE: To compare the degree of gastric lesion in male rats among ulcerogenic models induced by: immobilization, immobilization plus intermittent light, immobilization plus immersion in water, and immersion in 99.5% ethanol at 6 and 12 hours. DESIGN: Experimental, comparative, randomized, blinded, and controlled study. SETTING: Animal facility and physiology laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine at UNSA in Arequipa. SUBJECTS: Five groups of 10 rats each, and a pre-experimental group of 5 rats. The distribution of animals within each group was randomized. INTERVENTION: Gastric lesions were induced according to the corresponding group. Subsequently, half of the animals were sacrificed at 6 hours and the other half at 12 hours, followed by macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of the stomachs, respectively, by blind reading. RESULTS: Among the control, immobilization, and immobilization plus intermittent light groups, there was no significant difference (P>0.005) macroscopically. There was a significant difference (P<0.005) between the control group and the immobilization plus immersion in water and ethanol group. There was no significant difference between 6 and 12 hours of exposure to the ulcerogenic model. CONCLUSIONS: Immobilization and immobilization plus intermittent light are not effective in producing experimental gastric lesions. Immobilization plus immersion in water and 99.5% ethanol are excellent at producing gastric lesions. The degree of damage produced by the different ulcerogenic models at 6 and 12 hours was the same.