title: Involvement of mast cells in gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori: a potential role in epithelial cell apoptosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role(s) of mast cells (MC) in gastric mucosal inflammation caused by Helicobacterpylori is (are) still debated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether there is an association between MC density and epithelial cell apoptosis in antral gastric mucosa infected by H pylori.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsy specimens from 122 H pylori-positive subjects with chronic active gastritis, 84 patients with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastritis and 48 volunteers were included. H pylori genotypes were determined by PCR amplification of bacterial cultures. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on tissue microarrays with anti-CD117, anti-chymase, anti-tryptase, anti-myeloperoxidase, anti-Bcl-2, anti-Bcl-x, anti-Bax and anti-caspase 3 antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 122 patients infected with H pylori, 76 (62.3%) harboured cagA positive strains. H pylori isolates belonged to the vacAs1/m1 genotype in 82 (67%) cases, to the vacAs2/m2 genotype in 23 (18.8%) cases and to the vacAs1/m2 genotype in 17 (13.9%) cases. 61 (50%) H pylori isolates were babA2+. In patients infected with H pylori, the density of MC, and in particular the number of MC-associated epithelial cells, was correlated with a high number of apoptotic epithelial cells. Moreover, the density of MC was correlated with the number of neutrophils infiltrating the antral gastric mucosa, and was strongly increased in patients infected with cagA, vacAs1/m1 and babA2 positive strains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these data show that the density of MC can be considered as a histopathological criterion of gastritis activity in patients infected with H pylori.
authors.affiliation: INSERM ERI-21 Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France. hofman@unice.fr
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lassalle
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Selva
authors.forename: Kheira
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kalem
authors.forename: Adrien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steff
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hébuterne
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sicard
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Auberger
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hofman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects; D017209:Apoptosis; D001706:Biopsy; D002452:Cell Count; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005838:Genotype; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration; D040081:Protein Array Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal