Gastroduodenal mucosal vitamin-C levels in Helicobacter pylori infection.
BACKGROUND
Vitamin C is an important endogenous antioxidant, and epidemiologic evidence suggests that it may protect against the development of gastric cancer. We therefore determined mucosal vitamin-C levels in the stomach and duodenum of subjects with and without Helicobacter pylori infection.


METHODS
The patients were 30 subjects undergoing routine gastroscopy for investigation of dyspepsia. High-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was used to determine mucosal ascorbic acid and total vitamin-C levels.


RESULTS
In H. pylori-negative subjects with normal gastroduodenal histology the antrum contained significantly higher levels of ascorbic acid and total vitamin C than the corpus or duodenum (P < 0.05). No significant changes were seen in gastric mucosal ascorbic acid or total vitamin-C levels in the presence of H. pylori infection and related inflammation. The presence of gastric atrophy did not affect mucosal ascorbic acid or total vitamin C levels. Duodenal ascorbic acid and total vitamin-C levels did not change significantly in the presence of gastric H. pylori or duodenal inflammation.


CONCLUSIONS
Although high levels of vitamin C are present in the gastroduodenal mucosa, these are not altered in the presence of H. pylori infection and inflammation. These observations suggest that the mucosal antioxidant potential of vitamin C is not impaired by H. pylori infection.
Phull
P S
PS
Dept. of Gastroenterology and Histopathology, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, England, UK.
Price
A B
AB
White
K L
KL
Schorah
C J
CJ
Jacyna
M R
MR
D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004382:Duodenitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D004386:Duodenum / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D005773:Gastroscopy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000975:Antioxidants; D001205:Ascorbic Acid