Quality of
ulcer healing (QOUH) is defined as ideal
ulcer healing featuring with the fine granular
ulcer scar, high functional restoration and the resistance to recurrence. This study was designed to compare the rates of QOUH achievement in rat
gastric ulcer model between
acid suppressant treated group and gastroprotectant treated group accompanied with elucidations of molecular mechanisms. Serosal injection of
acetic acids for generating
gastric ulcer and intraperitoneal (ip) injection of recombinant
interleukin 1-beta (IL-1beta) for recurring healed
ulcer was done in SD rats. The 72 rats were divided into three groups according to treatment as follows; Group I, no further treatment, Group II, 8 weeks treatment of
omeprazole, and Group III, 8 weeks of gastroprotectant treatment. IL-1beta was administered for
ulcer recurrence after 28 weeks of
acetic acid injection. At four weeks after gastric ulcerogenesis, 58.3% (7/12) of active
gastric ulcer were converted to healing stage in Group III, but 16.7% (2/12) in Group II and none in Group I, for which significant levels of
epidermal growth factor,
mucin, and pS2/trefoil peptide1 were contributive to these accelerated healings of Group III. ip
injections of rIL-1beta (200 microg/kg) at 28 weeks after
acetic acid injection led to 100% of
ulcer recurrence in Group I and 75.0% in Group II, but only 16.7% of Group III rats showed
ulcer recurrence. Significantly attenuated levels of inflammatory
cytokines including
IL-2,
transforming growth factor-alpha (
TNF-alpha),
cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2),
nitrotyrosine were responsible for the resistance to
ulcer recurrence in Group III. Conclusively, gastroprotectant might be prerequisite in order to achieve ideal QOUH through significant inductions of remodeling.