Effects of KB-5492, a new anti-ulcer agent, on various experimental gastric mucosal lesions and mucosal defensive factors in rats were compared with those of teprenone and cimetidine. KB-5492 administered orally at 12.5-200 mg/kg inhibited water-immersion stress- and indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal lesions in a dose-dependent manner with ED₅₀ values of 46 and 27 mg/kg, respectively, indicating that KB-5492 was more potent than teprenone but less potent than cimetidine. KB-5492, administered orally at 12.5-100 mg/kg, also inhibited ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions in a dose-dependent manner with an ED₅₀ of 23 mg/kg, so KB-5492 was 3 times more potent than teprenone, whereas cimetidine produced no obvious inhibition. In addition, KB-5492, administered orally at 25 and 50 mg/kg twice daily for 10 consecutive days, significantly accelerated the healing of acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers more potently than teprenone and cimetidine. KB-5492 at anti-ulcer doses significantly increased gastric mucosal blood flow in normal anesthetized rats and inhibited the reduction of gastric mucosal hexosamine content induced by aspirin, but did not affect gastric acid secretion in pylorus-ligated rats. These results indicate that KB-5492 has potent and broad anti-ulcer properties, which are probably exerted by its enhancement of gastric mucosal defensive factors through increasing gastric mucosal blood flow and/or retaining gastric mucus, and not by its inhibition of gastric acid secretion.