Background
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gaseous messenger and serves as an important neuromodulator in the central nervous system. This study aimed to clarify the role of H2S within the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) in the control of gastric function in rats.
Methods
Cystathionine β‐synthetase (CBS) is an important generator of endogenous H2S in the brain. We investigated the distribution of CBS in the DMV using immunohistochemical method, and the effects of H2S on gastric motility and on gastric acid secretion.
Key Results
CBS‐immunoreactive (IR) neurons were detected in the rostral, intermediate and caudal DMV, with the highest number of CBS‐IR neurons in the caudal DMV, and the lowest in the intermediate DMV. We also found that microinjection of the exogenous H2S donor NaHS (0.04 and 0.08 mol/L; 0.1 μL; n = 6; p < 0.05) into the DMV significantly inhibited gastric motility with a dose‐dependent trend, and promoted gastric acid secretion in Wistar rats. Microinjection of the same volume of physiological saline (PS; 0.1 μL, n = 6, p > 0.05) at the same location did not noticeably change gastric motility and acid secretion.
Conclusions & Inferences
The data from these experiments suggest that the CBS that produces H2S is present in the DMV, and microinjection of NaHS into the DMV inhibited gastric motility and enhanced gastric acid secretion in rats.