Duodenal juice stimulates oesophageal stem cells to induce Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma in rats

the present study was performed to examine the sequential process of the development of Barrett's oesophagus (BE) and oesophageal adenocarcinoma (ADC) induced by duodeno-oesophageal reflux (DER) in rats. Total gastrectomy was performed in male Wistar rats weighing approximately 250 g followed by reconstruction with oesophago-jejunostomy, which causes unavoidable DER without exposure to exogenous carcinogens. Animals were selected at random and sacrificed every 10 weeks after surgery until 50 weeks. Severe squamous oesophagitis with erosion, regenerative thickening (RT), and basal cell hyperplasia (BCH) were observed on the 10th week after surgery. On the 20th week, glandular structures that stained positively with Galactose oxidase-Schiff (foveolar metaplasia) were observed in the basal layer of the oesophageal squamous epithelium. On the 30th week, the glands developed and formed cysts that stained positively with concanavalin A (pyloric glandular metaplasia) and/or high-iron diamine and Alcian blue (intestinal metaplasia). From the 40th week after surgery, ADC cells surrounded by columnar-lined epithelium were found. Persistent stimulation with DER can alter the stem cells in the squamous epithelial basal layer leading to the formation of columnar-lined cells and subsequent ADC. Foveolar metaplasia was observed as part of the sequence of events leading to the development of columnar-lined epithelium (CLE), followed by the appearance of pyloric glandular metaplasia and intestinal metaplasia, completing the histogenesis of BE.