AIM: To establish an experimental animal model of chronic gastritis in a short term and to investigate the effects of several potential inflammation-inducing factors on rat gastric mucosa.METHODS: Twenty-four healthy, male SD rats were treated with intragastric administration of 600 mL/L alcohol, 20mmol/L sodium deoxycholate and 0.5 g/L ammonia (factor A), forage containing low levels of vitamins (factor B), and/or indomethacin (factor C), according to an L8(27)orthogonal design. After 12 wk, gastric antral and body mucosae were pathologically examined.RESULTS: Chronic gastritis model was successfully induced in rats treated with factor A for 12 wk. After the treatment of animals, the gastric mucosal inflammation was significantly different from that in controls, and the number of pyloric glands at antrum and parietal cells at body were obviously reduced (P＜0.01). Indomethacin induced gastritis but without atrophy, and short-term vitamin deficiency failed to induce chronic gastritis and gastric atrophy, In addition,indomethacin and vitamin deficiency had no synergistic effect in inducing gastritis with the factor A. No atypical hyperplasia and intestinal metaplasia in the gastric antrum and body were observed in all rats studied.CONCLUSION: Combined intragastric administration of 600 mL/L alcohol, 20 mmol/L sodium deoxycholate and 0.5 g/L ammonia induces chronic gastritis and gastric atrophy in rats. Indomethacin induces chronic gastritis only.The long-term roles of these factors in gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis need to be further elucidated.