Effects of hormones (calcitonin, GIP) and pharmacological antagonists (ranitidine and famotidine) on isolated rat parietal cells

The rationale for the present study was to compare calcitonin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) versus two histamine H 2 receptor antagonists with respect to their potency of inhibiting parietal cell functions. Adenylate cyclase activity and acid production ([ 14C]aminopyrine uptake) of isolated rat parietal cells were stimulated by histamine. At 10 −7 and 10 −6 mol/l, calcitonin and GIP reduced the response to histamine by 10–20% following noncompetitive kinetics. Ranitidine and famotidine (MK 208) inhibited the response to histamine by about 50% at 10 −7–10 −6 mol/l, and at 10 −5 mol/l abolished the histamine effect. On a molar basis famotidine turned out to be 6 times more potent than ranitidine. Both antagonists revealed competitive kinetics. Our data suggest direct inhibition of the parietal cells by the tested compounds which were shown to interfere at the adenylate cyclase cAMP system or at the histamine H 2 receptor. However, compared to the histamine H 2 receptor antagonists, hormonal inhibition is less pronounced and mediated by a different mechanism.