Histological characteristics of induced acute peptic injury in equine gastric squamous epithelium.
Authors: Murray M J, Eichorn E S, Jeffrey S C
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Murray and colleagues induced acute gastric ulceration in 15 horses using alternating feed deprivation and ad libitum feeding protocols lasting either 48 or 96 hours, then examined microscopic changes in the squamous mucosa adjacent to erosions and ulcers compared to normal tissue. Notably, all but one horse in the 48-hour deprivation group developed lesions, and histological analysis revealed significant thickening of both keratinised and nonkeratinised epithelial layers, substantially longer epithelial projections (villi), increased capillary penetration toward the luminal surface, and markedly greater cross-sectional areas of arterioles, capillaries and venules in the lamina propria—findings consistent with active healing mechanisms. These adaptive vascular and epithelial changes were evident even in the early stages of peptic injury and persisted despite continued insult, suggesting that healing processes begin immediately following mucosal damage. The practical implications are significant: the data support the clinical observation that many equine gastric ulcers heal spontaneously without pharmacological intervention, and indicate that acid-suppressing medications function not to initiate healing but to optimise the chemical environment in which the horse's own protective and regenerative mechanisms can operate effectively.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Feed deprivation protocols significantly increase gastric acidity and peptic injury risk in horses; maintain consistent feeding schedules to prevent ulcer development
- •Gastric ulcers demonstrate intrinsic healing mechanisms that begin immediately after injury; acid-reducing medications facilitate rather than initiate healing by optimizing the healing microenvironment
- •Understanding that ulcers heal naturally even with repeated injury may help prioritize management approaches focused on reducing gastric acidity and feed management over aggressive medical intervention alone
Key Findings
- •Feed deprivation for 48-96 hours induced erosions or ulcers in 14 of 15 horses, demonstrating reproducibility of peptic injury model
- •Epithelial thickness adjacent to lesions was significantly greater than normal, including both keratinized and nonkeratinized layers, indicating active epithelial proliferation
- •Capillary extension into epithelium and vascular cross-sectional area in lamina propria were significantly increased at lesion sites, suggesting angiogenesis begins soon after peptic insult
- •Healing processes initiated early and progressed despite repeated peptic injury, supporting that gastric ulcers often heal spontaneously without medical intervention