ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF THE GASTRIC PARIETAL CELLS OF ALBINO MICE TREATED WITH THE ANTI-ULCER DRUG LANSOPRAZOLE (ZOLLIPAK).

Abstract

ABSTRACT : The anti-ulcer drugs are effective agents for the prophylaxis of gastric ulcers , duodenal ulcers , reflux oesophagitis and Zollinger Ellison syndrome .They act through the inhibition of the proton pump mechanism H(+)-K(+)-ATP ase in the gastric parietal cells which results in a decreased production HCL by these .In spite of such beneficial effects of these drugs , they are incriminated in producing adverse consequences in the ultrastructure of the gastric parietal cells . The aim of the present study was to demonstrate some of the deleterious devastations in the ultrastructure of gastric parietal cells following treatment with the anti-ulcer drug Lansoprazole with the trade name Zollipak .Five groups of male albino mice (each consisting of 10 animals) were used in the present work .Group-I served as a control group .Group II,III ,IV and V were given daily oral doses (0.4mg/kg.body weight) of the anti-ulcer drug Lansoprazole for 1,2,3 and 4 weeks respectively .After each treatment period , the gastric mucosa was dissected and fixed in 2.5% cacodylate buffered glutraldehyde , processed and photographed on 201 Philips TEM . The gastric mucosae showed the following results .Treatment with 0.4mg/kg.body weight of lansoprazole for one week showed that the parietal cells manifested marked proliferation of the so called intracellular canaliculi and tubulovesicles with rather swollen microvilli .The mitochondria appeared conspicuously swollen with rather condensed matrices. After treatment with the same doses of the drug for two weeks the parietal cells displayed severe proliferation and swelling of the microvilli of the so called intracellular canaliculi .The mitochondria were degenerated with marked loss of their internal ridges and matrices and aggregation of some lysosomes became prominent.In case of treatment with the same doses of the drug for three weeks it induced decreased microvilli of the intracellular canalculi with severe damage of the mitochondria .However , treatment with the same drug doses (0.4mg/kg.body weight) for 4 weeks showed drastic changes in the ultrastructure of the gastric parietal cells , where the so called intracllular canaliculi were disrupted ,dissolute and acquired randomly scattered microvilli .The mitochondria were severely devastated .lost their ridges and internal matrices through their ruptured membranes and contained tiny flocculent materials . In conclusion :The use of the anti-ulcer drug lansoprazole had caused severe pathogenic impacts on the fine structure of the gastric parietal cells including their mitochondria and the so called intracellular cancaliculi .