title: Role of activated protein C in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis.
abstract: The protein C (PC) pathway has recently been suggested to play a role in the regulation of the inflammatory response. To further extend the anti-inflammatory effect of activated PC (APC) in vivo, particularly its biological relevance to human disease, the activity of APC in the mucosa of patients with Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis and the effect of vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA), cytotoxin-associated antigen (CagA), and H. pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on PC activation were evaluated. This study comprised 35 patients with chronic gastritis. There were 20 patients with and 15 without H. pylori infection. The levels of PC and APC-PC inhibitor (PCI) complex were measured by immunoassays. The level of PC was significantly decreased and the level of APC-PCI complex was significantly increased in biopsy specimens from gastric corpus and antrum in patients with H. pylori-associated gastritis as compared to H. pylori-negative subjects. The concentrations of VacA, CagA, and LPS were significantly correlated with those of the APC-PCI complex in biopsy mucosal specimens from the gastric corpus and antrum. H. pylori LPS, VacA, and CagA induced a dose-dependent activation of PC on the surface of monocytic cells. APC inhibited the secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) induced by H. pylori LPS. Overall, these results suggest that H. pylori infection is associated with increased APC generation in the gastric mucosa. The inhibitory activity of APC on TNF-alpha secretion may serve to protect H. pylori-induced gastric mucosal damage.
authors.affiliation: The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gabazza
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Imoto
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011486:Protein C / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018046:Protein C Inhibitor / Q000378:metabolism; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011486:Protein C; D018046:Protein C Inhibitor; D018180:Thrombomodulin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori