The effects of aspirin on gastric acid secretion were studied in isolated rabbit parietal cells (PC). Aspirin (10(-5) M) potentiated histamine-, dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP)-, forskolin- and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-stimulated acid secretion without affecting basal acid secretion. Augmentation of secretagogue-stimulated acid secretion by aspirin was dependent on calcium (Ca2+) since potentiation was blocked by removal of extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o) or addition of the calcium antagonist lanthanum chloride. Using the Ca2+ probe fura-2, aspirin (10(-6) - 2 X 10(-5) M) rapidly increased intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in a dose-dependent manner. The source of released Ca2+ was intracellular as demonstrated by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ and [Ca2+]o with EGTA washing. Aspirin did not affect several other signal transduction sites involved in stimulus-secretion coupling, including the H2 receptor, intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP), inositol 1,4,5, triphosphate (IP3) and H+,K(+)-ATPase. Aspirin decreased PC prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) content by 98%. Exogenous dimethyl PGE2 (dmPGE2) inhibited both histamine-stimulated acid secretion and its enhancement by aspirin. In contrast, dmPGE2 abolished aspirin-induced potentiation of dbcAMP-stimulated acid secretion by augmenting the dbcAMP-stimulated response. These results indicate that aspirin acts at a site beyond the adenylate cyclase/cAMP system and before the proton pump, presumably by releasing Ca2+ from an IP3-independent intracellular storage pool and by inhibiting PGE2 generation.
R A Levine, J Nandi, R L King