Increase of mast cells may be associated with infiltration of eosinophils and proliferation of microvessels in gastric eosinophilic granuloma.
BACKGROUND
Gastric eosinophilic granuloma (GEG) is a rare disease. Recently this disease has begun to increase in China. In the present study, the function and the role of mast cells (MC) in the pathogenesis of GEG were investigated.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 23 GEG patients and 15 gastric ulcer (GU) patients, were stained with antihuman mast cell tryptase for counting the MC and degranulated MC. Antihuman CD34 antibody was used for detecting the microvessel density (MVD) with immunohistochemical technique. Mast cell degranulation was also studied using electron microscopy.


RESULTS
The quantity of both MC and degranulated MC were higher in both GEG and GU than in normal gastric mucosa. The proportion of degranulated MC was higher in the GEG but in GU it was similar to normal mucosa. The MVD was higher in both GU and GEG than that in the normal gastric mucosa and it was higher in the high-MC group than in the low-MC group in GEG. The positive correlation between eosinophil and MC was present only in GEG, not in GU.


CONCLUSIONS
The infiltration of eosinophils and MVD may be associated with the increase of MC in GEG. This suggests that in addition to eosinophils, MC might be the important cells in the pathogenesis of GEG.
Li
Xi
X
Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Gao
Zhen-Jun
ZJ
Cao
Ji-Wang
JW
Yu
Bao-Ping
BP
Song
Liu-Lai
LL
Luo
He-Sheng
HS
D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004803:Eosinophilic Granuloma / Q000276:immunology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000276:immunology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000276:immunology*