We examined the severity of taurocholate-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats with obstructive jaundice. Oral administration of 100 mM taurocholate induced severer gastric mucosal damage in rats with jaundice than in intact rats. Pretreatment with 5 mM taurocholate significantly protected the gastric mucosa against 100 mM taurocholate-induced damage, suggesting adaptive cytoprotection in rats with jaundice. The reductions in the gastric mucosal potential difference and hexosamine contents in the gastric mucosa in response to 100 mM taurocholate were significantly attenuated by prior administration of 5 mM taurocholate in both intact rats and rats with jaundice.