Eugenol as a Stimulus for Gastric Mucous Secretion ∗ † ‡

Abstract

Summary

The characteristics of gastric mucous secretion, stimulated by topical application of aqueous eugenol emulsion in several concentrations, have been investigated on 9 Heidenhain pouch dogs. A 5% emulsion of clove oil, which had previously been found to be superior to all other mucus stimuli, was used. as a basis of reference for determining the secretory value of eugenol. It was found that 5% eugenol yields larger volumes of secretion, with a higher pH, than the clove oil. The percentages of specimens possessing high viscosity, opacity, and columnar cell contentare lower for the eugenol than for the clove oil. Since we have already cited reasons 3 for believing that pure gastric mucus is transparent, cell-free, and of variable consistency, it may be that the secretion yielded by eugenol differs less from pure mucus than does the fluid obtained with clove oil.

Five per cent eugenol emulsion is the most effective stimulus to mucus secretion which we have found to date-especially since it yields larger volumes of mucus which tend to have a higher pH than those induced by any of the other stimuli, The latter characteristic indicates also that eugenol has virtually no stimulating effect on the parietal cells. Furthermore, this substance is a pure compound, the major component of clove oil, whereas the latter is a mixture of at least 7 different chemical substances, Since the minor components of the essential oil may also exert some physiological effect on the mucosa, their absence from the pure eugenol enhances its value as a standard. Hence, we propose to adopt an aqueous emulsion of eugenol as a standard stimulating agent for further work on the physiology of gastric mucous secretion.