BACKGROUNDGastritis, gastric ulcer, and gastric bleeding are associated with gastric mucosal injury. Chemical drugs are the current mainstream method, but the limitations are also increasingly apparent. Accumulative basic and clinical evidence has confirmed that ultraviolet C (UVC) has a significant effect on improving superficial infectious inflammation, promoting the healing of injured wounds, mucous membranes and ulcers, and killing microorganisms. It is possible to explore a new treatment method by introducing UVC light into the stomach to treat the damaged gastric mucosa.OBJECTIVEThis study evaluated the efficacy of introducing 254 nm UVC into the stomach by the self-made light guide at different doses and time to promote the healing of injured gastric mucosa, and explored the potential mechanism underling the treatment effect.METHODSThe rat model of gastric mucosal injury induced by ethanol was intervened by UVC with different radiation doses. The ulcer index, histopathology, CAT, SOD, MDA, NO, TNF-α, IL-6 and EGF in gastric mucosa and serum were evaluated. In addition, the expression of ASC, IL-1β and Caspase-1 in gastric tissue was evaluated.RESULTSUVC significantly improved the histopathological condition of damaged gastric mucosa and reduce the ulcer index. UVC reduced the levels of TNF-α and IL-6, increase the level of EGF in serum. It also significantly increased the levels of SOD, CAT and NO, and reduced the levels of MDA in serum and gastric tissue. The expression of ASC, IL-1β and Caspase-1 in gastric mucosa was significantly inhibited, and it showed a significant dose-dependent trend with UVC irradiation dose.CONCLUSIONIntragastric irradiation of 254 nm UVC can effectively promote the repair of damaged gastric mucosa by inhibiting inflammatory factors, activating antioxidant system and inhibiting the apoptosis-related proteins, which may provide a promising way for clinical application of physical factors in the treatment of gastric mucosal injury. However, whether the technology can be finally applied to clinical practice requires more rigorous safety and effectiveness studies.