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The role of sucralphate in prevention of acute gastric injuries and its comparison with free radical blockers such as allopurinol, soybean trypsin inhibitor and superoxidase dismutase in the ischemia-reperfusion model by total occlusion of the coeliac artery in Wistar rats, was studied. The gross gastric mucosal necrotic area was 80%. In contrast with the antioxidant drugs the necrotic area attained was between 7 to 15%, while with sucralphate, an antioxidant-cytoprotective drug that enhances the gastric defensive barrier, the prevention of the secondary aggression induced by free radicals was more important.

Six percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used as a generator of the *OH free radical, and as an aggressor of gastric mucosa, in 100 Wistar rats. The mucosal cytoprotector effect of sucralfate, misoprostol, enprostil, cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine and 10% aluminum sulphate yielded almost complete macroscopic and histological protection to the gastric mucosa. Misoprostol or enprostil gave partial protection whereas the H2 blockers aggravated the gastric necrotic lesions produced by the H2O2. We conclude that sucralfate is a true anti-oxidant that protects the gastric mucosa through its aluminum and sulphydril components, the increment of gastric mucins and endogenous PGs.