Blood glucose levels in adult (A, left graph) and aged (A, right graph) rats fed a standard diet (SD) or high fructose diet (HFD) during 28 days. Results are given as mean ± standard deviation (SD) (statistical analysis: one way-ANOVA, n = 5–6/group). Histological characteristic of study groups according to the changes in gastric mucosal damage index (B) and representative photomicrographs to illustrate the changes in the gastric mucosa in adult (C, D) and aged (E–L) rats fed by 28 days of high fructose diet, visualizing surface epithelial cells (SEC), foveoli (F), and glandular cells (G). Hematoxylin and eosin staining at low (C – x 150; E and G – x 200) and higher magnification (D, F, and H–L – x 600). Gastric mucosa of adult and aged rats shows glandular cells (D, F, respectively), and hypertrophy of mucous neck cells (arrows) (F). In the gastric mucosa of vehicle-treated aged rats exposed to acute stress (G, H) and aspirin pretreatment (I), there is observed connective tissue (arrows) in basal third of the gastric mucosa, hyperemia in lamina propria (arrows). The gastric mucosa of aged rats exposed to acute stress and pretreated by NaHS (J), a combination of NaHS and aspirin (K) shows uneven swelling of the submucosal base in gastric mucosa (arrows) while pretreatment of ATB-340 (L) shows diffuse swelling of the submucosal basis of gastric mucosa.