Gastroprotective Effect of Stress Preconditioning: Involvement of Glucocorticoids

Stress plays a leading role in maintaining the physical health of the body. Various health effects of preconditioning mild stress strongly confirm this statement. Preconditioning mild stress, which is everyday event of animal and human life, may attenuate the development and aggravation of diseases including such widespread pathology as gastric ulceration. Preconditioning mild stress may diminish gastric injury formation caused by severe stress. Gastroprotective influence of preconditioning mild stress is known to be mediated by prostaglandins. In the present article, we focus on the data suggesting that glucocorticoids released in response to preconditioning mild stressor are important players of gastroprotective influence of preconditioning stress.