Serum anti-Lewis X antibody is associated with VacA seropositivity but not atrophic gastritis in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.
OBJECTIVE
Lipopolysaccharides of Helicobacter pylori have an antigenic structure that mimics Lewis X occurring in gastric mucosa. The pathogenic role of antigenic mimicry in H. pylori-induced gastritis has been of recent interest. The aim of this study was to examine the relevance of anti-Lewis X antibody in the development of atrophic gastritis in H. pylori infection.


METHODS
A total of 72 patients were studied. Serum samples were collected to measure IgG antibodies to H. pylori, CagA, VacA and Lewis X. Biopsy specimens were obtained from the antrum and the corpus to examine the grade and the type of atrophic gastritis.


RESULTS
Mean anti-Lewis X antibody titres were higher in 38 VacA-seropositive patients than in 13 seronegative patients (P < 0.05). The difference was not significant between patients with diffuse-type atrophic gastritis and those with multi-focal type. No significant correlation was observed between the titre of anti-Lewis X antibody and the grade of glandular atrophy, whereas CagA seropositivity was associated with glandular atrophy.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-Lewis X antibody may play a role in persistent gastric inflammation, particularly in VacA-seropositive H. pylori infection. However, anti-Lewis X antibody does not seem itself to be associated with atrophic gastritis in patients with H. pylori infection.
Shimoyama
T
T
First Department of Internal Medicine, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan. tsimo-hki@umin.ac.jp
Fukuda
S
S
Tanaka
M
M
Sugawara
N
N
Kurimoto
F
F
Munakata
A
A
D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D016256:Lewis X Antigen / Q000276:immunology*
D000906:Antibodies; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016256:Lewis X Antigen; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori