The relationship between enzyme activity of gastric mucosa with microcirculation and acid output

The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between gastric blood flow with acid output and enzymatic systems of the gastric mucosa (GM). We examined 14 healthy young individuals and 20 healthy elderly patients without atrophic changes in GM. Blood flow in GM microvessels was assessed using Doppler laser flowmetry, acid output was assessed by 24-h pH monitoring, and H+-K+-ATPase and nitric oxide synthase activity was assessed by standard biochemical techniques. A statistically significant decreased blood flow level in microvessels of the GM secretory zone (large curvature, front and back walls in the stomach body) was revealed for healthy individuals, which was accompanied by decreased NO synthase activity. Acid output and H+-K+-ATPase activity of parietal cells in this zone do not decrease with age. Nevertheless, in elderly patients, a higher level of blood flow in the secretory zone was associated with a higher acid output level, which points to an increase in the blood flow level values for hydrochloric acid secretion in elderly individuals. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.