D-002 is an anti-ulcerogenic product, isolated from
beeswax, which consists of a well-defined mixture of higher primary aliphatic
alcohols. It is highly effective against
ethanol-induced
ulcers. This study was designed to determine if
D-002 shows cytoprotective properties on gastric mucosa in
ethanol-induced
ulcers. The involvement of endogenous
prostaglandins in the protective effect of
D-002 was also investigated. When a subulcerogenic dose of
indomethacin (10 mg kg-1) was injected simultaneously with
oral administration of
ethanol, oral pre-treatment with
D-002 (5-100 mg kg-1) partially inhibited the gastric protection.
D-002 (5 and 25 mg kg-1) administered to normal rats significantly increased the soluble mucus content and also prevented its reduction in rats with
ethanol-induced
ulcers. In addition,
D-002 administered at 5 and 25 mg kg-1 prevented the increase of vascular permeability induced by
ethanol (60%) and reduced the concentration of
thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in gastric mucosa of rats with
ethanol-induced
ulcers. These results support the hypothesis that the anti-ulcerogenic properties of
D-002 could be related to a cytoprotective mechanism.