Gastric ghrelin in relation to gender, stomach topography and Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the level of gastric ghrelin in stomach mucosa of dyspeptic patients in relation to Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, bacterial cytotoxicity, topography and gender.


METHODS
The study comprised 40 premenopausal women (19 H pylori positive) and 48 men (17 H pylori positive) with functional dyspepsia. All gastric biopsy specimens revealed normal mucosa or non-atrophic gastritis. Gastric ghrelin concentration was determined by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The cagA and vacA strains of bacterial DNA were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
In general, infection with H pylori caused an increase in gastric ghrelin level regardless of gender and stomach topography. Significantly more hormone was present in both, non-infected and H pylori positive female samples, as compared to males. The distribution of bacterial strains showed cagA(+) vacA s1m1 and cagA(-) vacA s2m2 genotypes as the most common infections in the studied population. A tendency to higher ghrelin levels was observed in less cytotoxic (cagA negative) strain-containing specimens from the antrum and corpus of both gender groups (without statistical significance).


CONCLUSIONS
An increase in gastric ghrelin levels at the stage of non-atrophic gastritis in H pylori positive patients, especially in those infected with cagA(-) strains, can exert a gastroprotective effect.
Stec-Michalska
Krystyna
K
Department of Gastroenterology and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, Plac Hallera 1, 90-647 Lodz, Poland.
Malicki
Sebastian
S
Michalski
Blazej
B
Peczek
Lukasz
L
Wisniewska-Jarosinska
Maria
M
Nawrot
Barbara
B
D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001706:Biopsy; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D054439:Ghrelin; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori