Prevention of gastric ulcer formation during the alarm reaction

Summary

Experiments in albino rats indicate that the gastric ulcers which appear in the course of a severe alarm reaction (produced by high spinal cord transection) may be prevented by the prophylactic administration of various food substances, aluminum hydroxide gel and especially by comparatively small doses of dextrose. Dextrose is effective when given either per os or intravenously. It prevents gastric ulcer formation even in doses insufficient to raise the glucose content of the blood above the normal level for the duration of the experiment. The prophylactic effect of dextrose is non-specific in the sense that the compound prevents the formation of gastric ulcers by a variety of widely different damaging agents such as formaldehyde injections, exposure to cold or spinal cord transection.