Effects of orally administered enteric-coated omeprazole on gastric acid secretion in horses.

This study explores the impacts of a drug called omeprazole, given in a particular form (enteric-coated capsules), on the production of stomach acid in horses. The results indicate that omeprazole significantly reduces stomach acid production in horses, suggesting it could be a useful medication for treating horse stomach ulcers.

Study Methodology

• The experiment was conducted on five healthy, eight-year-old, mixed-breed horses who had gastric cannulas fitted. A gastric cannula is a tube inserted into the stomach, which allows the researchers to directly collect samples of gastric fluid.
• The omeprazole was prepared as enteric-coated granules, mixed with corn syrup, and given orally to the horses for five consecutive days.
• Gastric fluid samples were collected five hours after omeprazole administration on the first and fifth days. These samples were collected over 15-minute intervals and were considered ‘baseline’ samples — that is, they represented the normal state of gastric acid production.
• Following the baseline sample collection, a substance called pentagastrin was administered intravenously to the horses for two hours. Pentagastrin is known to stimulate the production of gastric acid. Further 15-minute gastric fluid samples were collected during this process, referred to as ‘stimulated’ samples as they represented the response of the stomach to an acid-stimulating agent.
• The volume, acidity, pH level, and gastric acid production of all samples were measured.
• The study also included control experiments which replicated the same process, but without giving omeprazole to the horses, only corn syrup.

Sudy Results

• Analysis of the samples collected showed that both baseline and stimulated gastric fluid acidity and gastric acid production significantly decreased when the horses were given omeprazole. This was in comparison to the control experiments where only corn syrup, but no omeprazole, was administered.
• In addition, the average pH of the gastric fluid samples significantly increased after the horses were given five daily doses of omeprazole. This indicates a reduction in acidity, as a higher pH value signifies lesser acidity.

Study Conclusions

• The study concludes that orally administered, enteric-coated omeprazole at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg of body weight, once daily for five days, significantly reduced both normal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion in horses.
• The results indicate that this form and dosage of omeprazole could be an effective treatment for gastric and duodenal ulcers in horses. These are common ailments in horses that are often challenging to treat effectively.