Lysolecithin and glyceroglucolipids in gastric secretion of patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer

Basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric secretions, collected (at 15-min intervals for 1 h) from six duodenal ulcer and six gastric ulcer patients, were analyzed for their content of lecithin, lysolecithin, and glyceroglucolipids. Whereas the glycero-glucolipid concentrations and the molar ratios of lysolecithin to lecithin (2.5:1) in basal and stimulated secretions from patients with duodenal and gastric ulcer were similar, significant (p < 0.01) differences were noted between these two groups with regard to the lysolecithin contents. The basal secretions of patients with duodenal ulcer contained about 4.5-fold less (204 μmol/l) of lysolecithin than those from patients with gastric ulcer (932 μmol/l). After pentagastrin stimulation, the lysolecithin concentrations in the secretion from duodenal ulcer patients rose slightly (to 212 μmol/l), whereas a twofold decrease (to 440 μmol/l) in lysolecithin was observed in the secretion from patients with gastric ulcer. Statistically significant correlation between concentrations of lysolecithin and glyceroglucolipids was only observed in basal (r = 0.85, p < 0.05) and stimulated (r = 0.93, p < 0.01) secretions from patients with gastric ulcer. It is concluded that high concentrations of lysolecithin in the secretion of gastric ulcer patients results in the weakening of the gastric mucosal barrier by depleting its glyceroglucolipid component.