Helicobacter pylori stimulates a mixed adaptive immune response with a strong T-regulatory component in human gastric mucosa.
BACKGROUND
Host factors play an important role in the pathophysiology of Helicobacter pylori infection and development of gastritis and related disease. The established opinion is that the T-cell-mediated immune response to H. pylori infection is of Th1 type. Our earlier immune cell phenotype studies indicate a mixed Th1-Th2 profile of the effector cells. Therefore, an extensive adaptive and regulatory cytokine gene expression profile was conducted by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).


METHODS
Biopsies from gastric mucosa of 91 patients diagnosed as H. pylori negative, H. pylori positive with gastritis, or H. pylori positive with peptic ulcer were obtained by endoscopy. Gene expressions of nine cytokines and CagA status were measured by qPCR.


RESULTS
All cytokine genes showed higher expression levels in the presence of H. pylori when compared to H. pylori-negative samples (fold increase: IL8: x 11.2; IL12A: x 2.4; TNF-alpha: x 5.2; IFN-gamma: x 4.3; IL4: x 3.6; IL6: x 14.7; and IL10: x 6.7). Patients infected with CagA-positive strains had higher expression of IL1-beta and IL18 compared to patients infected with CagA-negative strains (x 1.6 for IL1-beta and x 2.0 for IL18). Patients with duodenal ulcer had a lower antral Th1/Th2 ratio than other H. pylori-positive patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The cytokine profile of H. pylori-infected gastric mucosa shows a mixed Th1-Th2 profile. Furthermore, a high IL10 expression may indicate that also regulatory T cells play a role in the chronic phase of H. pylori infection.
Goll
Rasmus
R
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Tromsø, Norway. rasmus.goll@unn.no
Gruber
Franz
F
Olsen
Trine
T
Cui
Guanglin
G
Raschpichler
Gabriele
G
Buset
Magne
M
Asfeldt
Anne M
AM
Husebekk
Anne
A
Florholmen
Jon
J
D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000276:immunology*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; D016753:Interleukin-10