The aim of the study was to assess whether changes in gastric mucosal blood flow induced by acute normovolaemic anaemia influence the susceptibility of the gastric mucosa to ethanol-induced damage, and the relationship of these changes with nitric oxide biosynthesis. Acute normovolaemic anaemia, promoted by exchanging 3 ml of blood by a plasma expander, induced a significant increase in gastric mucosal blood flow measured by hydrogen gas clearance, without changes in arterial blood pressure. After intragastric 60% ethanol administration, gastric blood flow was still significantly higher in anaemic than in control rats, and this was associated with a lower macroscopic and microscopic gastric damage. Following ethanol administration, anaemic rats pretreated with an inhibitor of nitric oxide biosynthesis (L-NMMA, 50 mg/kg, i.v.) had a lower gastric blood flow and a higher macroscopic gastric damage than anaemic rats without pretreatment. Anaemic rats pretreated with vasopressin also had after ethanol administration a lower gastric blood flow and a higher macroscopic gastric damage. It is concluded that acute normovolaemic anaemia protects the gastric mucosa against damage induced by intragastric ethanol. The inhibition of nitric oxide biosynthesis reverts in part this protective effect, and this seems to be related with the capability of nitric oxide to increase gastric mucosal blood flow, since vasoconstriction by a nitric oxide-independent mechanism causes a similar effect.