Enhanced production of leptin in gastric fundic mucosa with Helicobacter pylori infection.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the concentrations of leptin in plasma and gastric fundic mucosa in humans, with reference to Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, and their association with gastric mucosal levels of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and IL-8.


METHODS
Plasma leptin concentrations were determined in 135 outpatients with non-ulcer dyspepsia, consisting of 95 H pylori-infected and 40 uninfected subjects, and 13 patients before and after cure of the infection with anti-H pylori regimen. Using biopsy samples that were endoscopically obtained from the middle corpus along the greater curvature, gastric leptin contents were measured by radioimmunoassay and the mucosal concentrations of IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-8 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. We also analysed the expression of leptin in the fundic mucosa by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The mucosal levels of leptin in the fundic mucosa of H pylori-infected patients were significantly higher than those of uninfected patients. The amount of gastric leptin correlated positively with the mucosal levels of IL-1beta and IL-6, but not IL-8. Circulating leptin correlated with body mass index, but not with H pylori status, and there was no change in plasma leptin levels following cure of the infection. Leptin immunoreactive cells were noted in the lower half of the fundic glands, and its expression of messenger ribonucleic acid in the oxyntic mucosa was detected by RT-PCR.


CONCLUSIONS
Leptin production is enhanced in H pylori-infected gastric mucosa. Gastric leptin may be involved in immune and inflammatory response during H pylori infection, through interaction with proinflammatory cytokines.
Nishi
Yoshito
Y
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan.
Isomoto
Hajime
H
Uotani
Shigeo
S
Wen
Chun-Yang
CY
Shikuwa
Saburo
S
Ohnita
Ken
K
Mizuta
Yohei
Y
Kawaguchi
Akio
A
Inoue
Kenichiro
K
Kohno
Shigeru
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005748:Gastric Fundus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D020738:Leptin; D012333:RNA, Messenger