Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on gastric mucosal phospholipid content and its fatty acid composition.
OBJECTIVE
Whether Helicobacter pylori eradication alters gastric mucosal phospholipid contents and their fatty acid composition remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of H. pylori eradication on gastric mucosal phosphatidylcholine (PC) content and its fatty acid composition.


METHODS
Endoscopic biopsy specimens were taken from the antrum and body of each of 19 asymtomatic male volunteers for detection of H. pylori, histopathological assessment of gastritis, phospholipid determination and fatty acid analysis. All the subjects with H. pylori infection were treated with eradication therapy. Endoscopy and tissue sampling were repeated again 1 and 6 months after all treatment.


RESULTS
In eight subjects, H. pylori infection was evident and was successfully eradicated. Pretreatment degrees of lymphocytes and plasma cells (inflammation) and polymorphonuclear neutrophils (activity) were greater in H. pylori-positive subjects compared with H. pylori-negative subjects (P<0.001), whereas the degree of inflammation decreased (P<0.001), and neutrophils had completely disappeared at 6 months after eradication. Moreover, the gastric mucosal PC contents at the antrum and body were unchanged within 1 month after cessation of treatment, but increased at 6 months after eradication (P<0.05). At 6 months after cessation of treatment, H. pylori-eradicated subjects had an increase (+30% at antrum, +18% at body) in linoleic acid composition and a decrease (-37%, -43%) in arachidonic acid composition of PC at the antrum and body, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that H. pylori eradication reduces the production of various eicosanoids, resulting in the normalization of gastric mucosal PC content and its fatty acid composition, which may consequently cause the gastric mucosal hydrophobicity to be normalized.
Orihara
T
T
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Japan.
Wakabayashi
H
H
Nakaya
A
A
Fukuta
K
K
Makimoto
S
S
Naganuma
K
K
Entani
A
A
Watanabe
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid