Helicobacter Pylori-associated Chronic Gastritis Research Articles

Somatic mutation of mitochondrial DNA in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis in patients with and without gastric cancer

Somatic mutations of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are associated with development of various types of human cancer. To elucidate the significance of somatic mutations of the mtDNA in gastric carcinogenesis, we examined mtDNA mutations in gastric cancers and in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis (H. pylori-CG), which is associated with an increased risk for gastric cancer development. Specimens of gastric cancer and gastric mucosa were obtained from 73 gastric cancer patients with H. pylori-CG, 75 cancer-free H. pylori-CG patients and 30 H. pylori-negative healthy subjects. Mutations of a specific mononucleotide repeat (D310) of the mtDNA were examined by microsatellite assay. mtDNA mutations were detected in 9 of 56 (16%) gastric cancers, in 10 of 148 (7%) H. pylori-CG and none of the 30 H. pylori-negative healthy subjects. mtDNA mutations in H. pylori-CG were significantly more frequent in gastric cancer patients than in cancer-free patients (12% vs. 1%, p=0.008). In addition, mtDNA mutations in H. pylori-CG were significantly more frequent in patients with mtDNA mutated gastric cancer than in patients with mtDNA unmutated gastric cancer (66% vs. 4%, p<0.001). These data suggest that somatic mutations of the mtDNA may be involved in the early stages of gastric carcinogenesis.

P53 Codon 72 polymorphism in gastric cancer susceptibility in patients with Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis.

p53 codon 72, which produces variant proteins with an arginine (Arg) or proline (Pro), has been reported to be associated with cancers of the lung, esophagus and cervix. However, there have been no reports on the p53 codon 72 polymorphism in gastric cancer susceptibility in patients with Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis (H. pylori-CG). We, therefore, examined the polymorphism in 117 gastric cancer patients (72 intestinal type and 45 diffuse type) with H. pylori-CG and 116 H. pylori-CG patients without gastric cancer as controls. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis was performed to analyze the p53 codon 72 polymorphism. The crude genotypic frequencies in the gastric cancer patients were similar to those of the controls. However, when gastric cancers were classified by histologic subtype, the Pro/Pro was more frequent in the patients with diffuse type gastric cancer than in the controls (22.2% of cases vs. 12.1% of controls). The Pro/Pro genotype was associated with a 2.98-fold higher risk of diffuse-type cancer compared to the Arg/Arg genotype (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-8.32, p = 0.038). These results suggest that the Pro/Pro genotype at p53 codon 72 contributes to susceptibility for diffuse-type gastric cancer in patients with H. pylori-CG. The p53 codon 72 polymorphism may serve as the genetic marker for the risk assessment of the diffuse-type gastric cancer development in patients with H. pylori-CG.

Genetic alterations underlying the pathogenesis of MALT lymphoma.

Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma is a discrete clinicopathologic entity arising in mucosaassociated lymphoid tissue (MALT), characterised by unique pathogenic, histologic and clinical features. MALT B-cell lymphoma occurs more frequently in organs, such as stomach, salivary glands, or thyroid, which acquire lymphoid tissue only after chronic phlogistic events. This occurs in response to either infectious conditions such as Helicobacter pyloriassociated chronic gastritis, or autoimmune processes like myo-epithelial sialadenitis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Within these prolonged lymphoid reactive proliferations, an abnormal B cell clone arises and replaces the normal population, giving rise to the MALT lymphoma. Clinical studies have shown that gastric MALT lymphoma can regress after anti-H. pylori antibiotic treatment, even if it is still not known whether antibiotics alone might induce de®nitive cure of the lymphoma. The molecular events underlying MALT lymphoma pathogenesis have become clearer during these last years and, at least for gastric lymphoma, a model can be drawn (Figure 1). Two distinct pathways seem to occur. MALT lymphoma might develop through a series of genetic lesions underlying the progression from a H. pylori-dependent lymphoma, with the presence of H. pylori strain-speci®c T cells necessary for the growth of lymphoma cells, to a H. pyloriindependent lesion. In contrast, the occurrence of the translocation t(11;18) would give rise to a MALT lymphoma, already H. pylori-independent. t(11;18)(q21;q21): API2-MALT1 fusion protein

K-ras mutation in helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis in patients with and without gastric cancer

Mutations of an oncogene, K-ras, are associated with the development and progression of many types of human cancer. To elucidate the significance of K-ras mutations in gastric carcinogenesis, we examined K-ras mutations in gastric cancers and in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis (H. pylori-CG), which is associated with an increased risk for the gastric cancer development. Specimens of gastric cancer and H. pylori-CG were obtained from 64 gastric cancer patients with H. pylori-CG, 99 cancer-free H. pylori-CG patients and 30 H. pylori-negative healthy subjects. K-ras mutations were examined by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP), followed by DNA sequencing analysis. K-ras mutations were detected in 4 of 48 (8.3%) gastric cancers, in 10 of 163 (6.1%) H. pylori-CG and none of the 30 H. pylori-negative healthy subjects. In the gastric cancer patients, mutated K-ras was detected in differentiated type cancers but not in any of the undifferentiated type cancers. K-ras mutations in H. pylori-CG were significantly more frequent in gastric cancer patients than in cancer-free patients (10.9% vs. 3.0%, p = 0.044). In addition, K-ras mutations in H. pylori-CG were significantly more frequent in patients with K-ras mutated gastric cancer than in patients with K-ras unmutated gastric cancer (50.0% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.037). These data suggest that the genetic mechanism(s) of carcinogenesis differs between the differentiated type and the undifferentiated type of gastric cancer and that K-ras mutations may be involved in the early stages of gastric carcinogenesis of the differentiated type. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

K‐ras mutation in helicobacter pylori‐associated chronic gastritis in patients with and without gastric cancer

Mutations of an oncogene, K-ras, are associated with the development and progression of many types of human cancer. To elucidate the significance of K-ras mutations in gastric carcinogenesis, we examined K-ras mutations in gastric cancers and in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis (H. pylori-CG), which is associated with an increased risk for the gastric cancer development. Specimens of gastric cancer and H. pylori-CG were obtained from 64 gastric cancer patients with H. pylori-CG, 99 cancer-free H. pylori-CG patients and 30 H. pylori-negative healthy subjects. K-ras mutations were examined by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP), followed by DNA sequencing analysis. K-ras mutations were detected in 4 of 48 (8.3%) gastric cancers, in 10 of 163 (6.1%) H. pylori-CG and none of the 30 H. pylori-negative healthy subjects. In the gastric cancer patients, mutated K-ras was detected in differentiated type cancers but not in any of the undifferentiated type cancers. K-ras mutations in H. pylori-CG were significantly more frequent in gastric cancer patients than in cancer-free patients (10.9% vs. 3.0%, p = 0.044). In addition, K-ras mutations in H. pylori-CG were significantly more frequent in patients with K-ras mutated gastric cancer than in patients with K-ras unmutated gastric cancer (50.0% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.037). These data suggest that the genetic mechanism(s) of carcinogenesis differs between the differentiated type and the undifferentiated type of gastric cancer and that K-ras mutations may be involved in the early stages of gastric carcinogenesis of the differentiated type.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on expression of cyclin D2 and p27 in gastric intestinal metaplasia.

Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors play a crucial role in the control of cell cycle transitions. Enhanced expression of cyclin D2 and reduced expression of p27kip1 (p27) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer. Because intestinal metaplasia has been regarded as a pre-malignant lesion, we investigated the expression of cyclin D2 and p27 in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis with and without intestinal metaplasia, and followed the changes after H. pylori eradication. Expression of cyclin D2 and p27 was studied by immunohistochemistry in 59 patients (including 35 patients with intestinal metaplasia) and in 10 gastric cancer patients. Among them, 29 H. pylori-infected patients had serial gastric biopsies taken before and at 1-year after eradication of H. pylori. Expression of cyclin D2 was significantly higher in gastric cancers when compared to their adjacent non-tumour tissues (median score 3 vs. 1, P=0.015). Over-expression of cyclin D2 was detected in H. pylori-associated chronic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, which was reduced after eradication of the organism (median score 2 vs. 1, P=0.037 in chronic gastritis; median score 2 vs. 0, P=0.008 in intestinal metaplasia). While the normal gastric mucosa showed strong p27 expression, five of the 10 gastric cancer tissues exhibited reduced p27 expression (P=0.039). Diminished p27 expression was also seen in intestinal metaplasia, which was restored 1-year after H. pylori eradication (eight out of 16 vs. one out of 16, P=0.018). Reduced expression of p27 was frequently associated with increased cyclin D2 expression in H. pylori-associated intestinal metaplasia (P=0.02). Over-expression of cyclin D2 and reduced expression of p27 are closely linked to H. pylori-associated intestinal metaplasia. Eradication of H. pylori infection reverses the aberrant expression of cyclin D2 and p27 in intestinal metaplasia.

Molecular testing of Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis and premalignant gastric lesions: clinical implications.

Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis may progress or be complicated by peptic ulcer and gastric malignancy, including gastric carcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Predicting who develops malignancy remains a clinical challenge. The molecular understanding of pathways that are associated with progression of the normal gastric epithelium to malignancy together with classic histologic parameters are promising ways of tackling this problem. Ideally, molecular tools used for screening should be available as noninvasive tests, such as examination of markers detectable in blood samples, but these are not currently available. In contrast, molecular markers that correlate with cancer risk can be examined in the epithelium after endoscopic biopsy and can be of importance in identifying individuals at risk, especially if combined with other parameters of gastric cancer risk.

B-cell monoclonality in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic atrophic gastritis.

B-cell monoclonality has been reported not only in gastric lymphoma, but also in 1.3-21% of Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis (Hp-CG) cases. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of B-cell monoclonality in Hp-CG. We examined 134 gastric biopsy specimens from 99 patients with Hp-CG. The density of Hp, polymorphonuclear neutrophil activity, chronic inflammation, glandular atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia (IM) were scored according to the updated Sydney System. B-cell monoclonality was analyzed for immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement using polymerase chain reaction amplification. B-cell monoclonality was detected in 6% of informative samples. B-cell monoclonality was found in 18% of the samples from Hp-CG patients with marked glandular atrophy but in none of the samples from Hp-CG patients with none to moderate glandular atrophy. Monoclonality was also detected in 20% of the samples from Hp-CG patients with marked IM, in 11% of the samples from Hp-CG patients with moderate IM, and in none of the samples from Hp-CG patients without IM. Therefore, B-cell monoclonality was significantly more frequent in Hp-CG patients with marked glandular atrophy than in Hp-CG patients with none to moderate atrophy. It was also more significantly frequent in Hp-CG patients with moderate or marked IM than in Hp-CG patients without IM (P < 0.05). Of 35 Hp-CG patients, 26 (74%) had identical B-cell populations in the antrum and the corpus, and all were polyclonal. The remaining nine (26%) Hp-CG patients had B-cell populations that differed in the antrum and the corpus. Four of the nine (44%) showed monoclonal B-cell populations in at least one gastric biopsy specimen. There were no patients with monoclonal B-cell populations in both the antrum and the corpus. These data suggest that glandular atrophy and IM in gastric biopsy specimens may be markers for gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma-genesis and that multiple gastric biopsy specimens from both the antrum and the corpus may be needed to assess the risk of gastric MALT lymphoma.

Review article: Cellular markers in the gastric precancerous process.

Gastric cancer is the end result of a chronic process, which usually starts as Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis. Although some differences exist in the histological intermediary stages and in the frequency and timing of certain molecular alterations, both diffuse and intestinal cancer are accompanied by some important common cellular changes. These include an increase in cell proliferation, and an alteration in apoptosis, which may be secondary to loss of function of p53 and loss of growth inhibition by growth factor (TGF)-beta, due to mutation of the TGF-beta receptor type II. This review examines the potential role of H. pylori in the aetiology of the molecular changes during the progression to gastric cancer, and explores the usefulness of these changes as biomarkers of increased risk of neoplasia in the intermediate steps of gastric carcinogenesis.

Geographic factors probably modulating alternative pathways in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastroduodenal pathology: a hypothesis.

It is hypothesized that probable geographic factors of nutritional type, nonrelated to development or socioeconomic level, may modulate the conversion of Helicobacter pylori-associated active chronic gastritis from its early stages to chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). The factors could be diets low in antioxidant vitamins and other micronutrients such as selenium. In regions of the world where these modulating factors are not present, active chronic gastritis tends to stay in its early stages and to predispose individuals to duodenal ulcer. On the contrary, in regions where the modulating factors are present, the frequency of CAG increases markedly. When CAG becomes severe and extensive, hypochlorhydria ensues. Hypochlorhydria decreases the predisposition to duodenal ulcer, while CAG, a precancerous lesion, predisposes individuals to gastric cancer of the intestinal type. The hypothesis could be tested in a multicenter, multiregional study to (1) determine endoscopically and histologically the prevalence rates of duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, gastric cancer, and H. pylori-associated CAG in large series of dyspeptic patients and (2) correlate these prevalence rates with blood levels of micronutrients in these patients.

Helicobacter pylori-Associated Chronic Gastritis in Peruvian Adolescents Is Very Common and Severe

Helicobacter pylori-Associated Chronic Gastritis in Peruvian Adolescents Is Very Common and Severe

Local and systemic immune response in Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis before and after treatment.

Ten patients with Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis were given combination therapy for 6 weeks with a bismuth subnitrate-containing compound and bacampicillin. The eradication rate was 40% 6 weeks after the end of treatment. Two patients remained H. pylori-negative at long-term follow-up after 6 and 17 months; that is, H. pylori was only eradicated in 20% of the patients after long-term observation. By dot blot and immunoblotting both urease and an urease-associated heat shock protein (HSP62) were found to be specific and constant immunodominant H. pylori antigens. The immunohistologic pattern showed induced expression of HLA-DR and HSP62, but not of ICAM-1, in all but two biopsy specimens of gastric epithelial cells. This study suggests i) that long-term observation is important when evaluating the efficacy of anti-H. pylori therapy; ii) that the immune defense mechanisms in the gastric mucosa differ from those in inflammatory conditions affecting other organs, where ICAM-1 and HLA-DR seem to be governed by a common regulator; and iii) that the immunopathologic effects of H. pylori may be caused by autologous and/or bacterial HSPs, which act as triggering factors in the development and persistence of the chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa.

Basophil-bound and serum immunoglobulin E directed against Helicobacter pylori in patients with chronic gastritis

The immunoglobulin (Ig) E immune response in patients with Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis has been evaluated. Of 26 patients with H. pylori infection, 22 (84%) tested positive for basophilbound specific IgE (determined by the histamine release test) and 18 (69%) for serum specific IgE (determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). In contrast, only 1 of 17 persons in whom the bacterium was not detected presented cell-bound and serum specific IgE. In the 4 histamine release test-positive but enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-negative patients, removal of antibody from the basophil surface by acid elution showed that histamine release occurred through an IgE-dependent mechanism. When normal basophils, passively sensitized with serum from IgE-positive patients, were exposed to the H. pylori antigen, a significant release was observed, confirming the class specificity of the response. Inhibition experiments with bacteria other than H. pylori showed that the IgE antibody was specifically directed against this organism. The percentage of antigen-induced histamine release did not correlate with serum specific IgE level. However, the response of basophils to antigenic challenge was proportional to IgE-dependent cellular releasability. This finding suggests that target cell sensitivity may be the most important factor in determining the entity of biological response to the antigenic challenge. The ability of H. pylori to induce a specific IgE immune response could answer key questions regarding the mechanisms inducing gastric inflammation.

Low Peptic Ulcer and High Gastric Cancer Prevalence in a Developing Country with a High Prevalence of Infection by Helicobacter pylori

We compared the prevalence rates of peptic ulcer (duodenal and gastric) and gastric cancer in 1,796 dyspeptic Peruvian patients with those reported in 2,883 similar patients from developed countries. The prevalence of total peptic ulcer was significantly lower, and that of gastric cancer significantly higher, in the Peruvian patients. The prevalence of gastric ulcer was lower but not significantly so. We deduced that the significantly lower prevalence of total peptic ulcer was directly related to the low prevalence rate of duodenal ulcer. We hypothesize that the reason for these differences was probably a higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic atrophic gastritis with hypochlorhydria in the Peruvian patients. Hypochlorhydria decreases the predisposition to peptic ulcer (especially duodenal ulcer), and chronic atrophic gastritis may predispose an individual to gastric cancer.

Helicobacter pylori Infection and Chronic Gastritis

Twenty-three children with Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori-associated chronic gastritis are reported. Family history of peptic disease, previous digestive procedures, and nonspecific epigastric pain were the most frequently encountered clinical features. Antral nodularity at endoscopy and histologic evidence of follicular gastritis were characteristic morphological aspects. Rapid urease tests suggested the diagnosis in 90% of patients. Significant increases of serum IgG and IgA against Helicobacter pylori allowed the identification of infected children with 95% cumulative sensitivity. Treatment with amoxicillin and bismuth subcitrate eradicated the infection and improved gastritis in 13 of 19 children. These findings provide further evidence for the etiologic role of Helicobacter pylori in chronic antral gastritis in children.