ARTICLES

Effect of nicotine on gastric acid secretion: evidence of electrogenic pump theory

In vitro studies on H+ secretion, potential difference (PD), short-circuit current (Isc), and resistance across stripped mucosa of frog stomach in Cl-medium have shown that addition of nicotine in the serum bathing fluid caused a marked inhibition of the H+ secretory rate and an increase of PD and Isc without change of the transmucosal resistance. A dose-response correlation was indicated. During the first 8 min, the changes in the measured parameters, namely, PD versus Ih and Isc versus Ih, were linear. After 8 min, a deviation from linearity was observed. From the slope of the regression lines, the resistance of the electrogenic Cl- pump on the mucosal membrane (Rcl) was calculated to be 127 omega cm2 and the resistance of the chloride pathway on the serosal side (Rcl) was 407 omega cm2. The resistance of the H+ pump on the mucosal membrane (Rh) in Cl- medium was estimated to be 385 omega cm2. The sum of the emf's of the Cl+ pump on the mucosal membrane and of the Cl- gradient across the serosal membrane, namely Ecl + Ecl, was found to be 35 mV. The presence of such linear relationships between measured versus the H+ rate and Isc versus Ih lends support to the electrogenic theory of HCl secretion.