Protective effect of dietary nitrate on stress-induced gastric mucosal injury via enhancing blood perfusion in Mongolian gerbils

WIRS group and administered distilled water containing To the Editor: Gastric ulceration caused by stress is one example of stress-induced organ injuries. Stress-induced sodium chloride of the same dose. WIRS assay was ulcer is commonly seen in critically ill patients and can result in significant upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated with a highly increased mortality. Water immersion and restraint stress (WIRS), which is a complex of physical and psychological stressors, causes damage that mimics the gastric lesions caused by sepsis, trauma, or surgery. Notably, it is well established that adequate mucosal blood flow plays an important role in protecting the gastric mucosa from injuries. Inorganic nitrate exists in everyday diet especially in some vegetables. Dietary nitrate can be rapidly converted to nitrite by oral bacteria, and further reduced to nitric oxide (NO) in the acidic stomach. It has been reported that nitrate serves as biological reservoirs for NO in hypoxia or acidic conditions. Dietary nitrate, as NO donor, has the potential to prevent cardiovascular disease, vascular damage, andhigh bloodpressure in animal models and humans. Our previous study has showed that dietary nitrate enhances blood flow in ischemic skin flap. Here, we explore the role of nitrate therapy in stressinduced gastric mucosal injury in Mongolian gerbils.