Severe intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) produces gastric pathology in about 30% of the patient population, even after the standard treatment of H2 receptor blockers or proton pump inhibitors. This study was undertaken to establish a rat model of ICH-induced gastric ulcer. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-350 g) were divided into two hemorrhage groups and a sham control group. ICH was produced either by injection of 100 microl of autologous arterial blood or by injection of 4 microl saline containing 0.6 unit of bacterial collagenase VII into the right basal ganglia. Rats were sacrificed at 24, 48, 72 h, and 7 days after ICH to harvest brains and stomachs. Greater degrees of hemorrhage and brain edema were observed in collagenase-induced ICH. Motor behavior decreased significantly after 24 h in both models. The incidence of acute ulceration with destruction of the forestomach epithelium was extremely low at 8.7% in the collagenase injection model and 4.8% in the blood injection rats. Small, pinpoint hemorrhages (petechiae) were noticed in 38% of rats after blood injection and 22% after collagenase injection, in the glandular portion of the gastric mucosa with penetration of red blood cells and inflammatory cells into the gastric mucosa. Enhanced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressions were observed in gastric tissues after ICH with more intense staining occurring at 24 and 48 h. Due to the low incidence of ulceration, ICH-induced gastric ulceration in rodents may not appropriate for evaluating the potential human risk of gastric ulceration after ICH.