Immunological Role of Toll-Like Receptor Markers (TLR2 and TLR4) in Patients with Helicobacter pylori infection at Basrah, Iraq.

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped, flagellated, microaerophilic bacteria found in the human gastric sub-mucosa. This study aimed to investigate the association between toll-like receptor markers (TLR2 and TLR4) and the infection with Helicobacter pylori. The study involved 224 participants randomly divided into 2 equal groups (n=112). The patient group (n=112) was involved with several gastrointestinal symptoms. They were compared to a control group (n=112) with negative H. pylori tests. Patients and control were subjected to upper digestive endoscopy with gastric biopsy for the rapid urease test, rapid diagnostic test, and ELISA test for TLR2 and TLR4 detection. The recorded data showed that 36 (32.1 %) patients with H. pylori were in the second to the third decades of their life (25-34 years), while 22 (19.6 %) positive H. pylori-infected individuals were in the age range of 15-24 years, which were very close to the participants in the age range of 35-44 years. On the other hand, it is revealed that 15 (13.4%) participants were in the fourth to fifth decades of life. This rate was very similar to the groups of patients within the sixth to seventh decades of their life (13 (11.6 %)), but the lowest number of cases with H. pylori patients found in the age range of 55-64 years were recorded 7.1%. In conclusion, the concentration of TLR2 and TLR4 is higher in H. pylori-positive participants compared to the control group. This might reflect the response of innate immunity of the body to the presence of H. pylori infection, and thus it may be used as an ancillary tool in the detection of the patient's susceptibility to this type of infection.