Selective decrease of duodenal phosphoprotein phosphatase activity is a general property of duodenal ulcerogens.

A phosphoprotein phosphatase (PPPase) is inhibited in rat duodenal mucosal cells very early after a single s. c. injection of the duodenal ulcerogens cysteamine, propionitrile and mepirizole. The effect seems to be independent of their effects on gastric acid secretion and on duodenal suppression of alkaline secretion. The enzyme inhibition is dose- and time-dependent under in vivo conditions. The inhibition of the PPPase activity is enzyme-selective at the level of mucosal cells in the duodenum. Under in vitro conditions, none of the duodenal ulcerogens inhibited PPPase activity. The results indicate that the effect of the ulcerogens on PPPase activity is probably exerted indirectly. When given simultaneously in vivo, propionitrile attenuated the inhibitory effects of cysteamine on the PPPase activity. However, both propionitrile and cysteamine potentiated the effect of mepirizole on PPPase depletion. These data indicate that cysteamine and propionitrile may act through the same mechanism when depleting PPPase activity. The mechanism of the decrease of duodenal protein phosphatase activity by mepirizole is probably different from the other duodenal ulcerogens.