Table 1.

Effects of nicotine and acute nitric oxide treatment on gastric ulceration and adhesion mucus content in rats

Experimental group	No. of rats with lesions	Ulcer index (mm)	Adhesion mucus content (μg/g wet glandular tissue)
A. No stress (unrestrained at 22 °C for 2 hours)
Tap water	2 (7)	0.04 ± 0.03	382 ± 38
Nicotine alone	3 (8)	0.05 ± 0.03	283 ± 27a
Nicotine + NO (acute)	2 (8)	0.06 ± 0.04	276 ± 28a
B. Stress (restrained at 4 °C for 2 hours)
Tap water	8 (8)c	6.0 ± 0.7	200 ± 17b
Nicotine alone	8 (8)c	19.0 ± 1.7ad	152 ± 14ab
Nicotine + NO (acute)	7 (7)c	17.8 ± 1.7ad	143 ± 15ab

Values are mean ± SD. Number of rats in each group is shown in parentheses. Lesions: Only petechiae in stomach were seen in non-stressed condition. Both petechiae and haemorrhagic ulcer in stomach were observed in stressed condition. Tap water: Rats drank water as control. Nicotine alone: Rats drank nicotine water (50 µg/ml) for 20 days. Nicotine + NO (acute): Rats drank nicotine water (50 µg/ml) for 20 days. Rats were given NO donor 60 min and 10 min twice by oral gavages before stress.

^aP < 0.05 when compared to its own tap water control in A or B.

^bP < 0.05,

^cP < 0.01,

^dP < 0.001 when compared to the corresponding control in A.