Spatio-temporal expression of trefoil peptide following severe gastric ulceration in the rat implicates it in late-stage repair processes

Abstract

Background: The trefoil peptide (TFF1) is a member of a family of mucin-associated regulatory peptides that are widely distributed in gastrointestinal tissues and have been implicated in the maintenance of the gastric mucosa. The role of TFF1 in gastric mucosal repair was examined by analysis of the spatio-temporal expression of TFF1 following gastric ulceration in the rat. Methods: Gastric ulcers were induced in rats by application of glacial acetic acid to the serosa of the fundus. At various time points post injury (0-28 days), macroscopic and microscopic examination of the gastric mucosa was performed. In addition, the spatio-temporal expression of TFF1 protein and proliferating cell nuc..