title: Role of Helicobacter pylori infection on neuronal expression in the stomach and spinal cord of a murine model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection on neuronal expressions in the stomach and spinal cord of mice so as to explain dyspepsia symptoms in H. pylori infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  C57BL/6 female mice were studied at 2 weeks (acute infection group) and 12 weeks (chronic infection group) after H. pylori inoculation. Histological analyses for gastric inflammation and bacterial colonization were assessed by HE staining and Warthin-Starry staining. Fos, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide expressions (CGRP) were studied by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  H. pylori colonization was present mainly in pyloric region, but bacterial density was similar in both infected groups. The intensity of mucosal inflammation and activity was significantly higher in two infected groups than in those in the control group. The degree of mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cell infiltration in proventricular-glandular region and gastric corpus at 12 weeks after H. pylori inoculation was higher than that at 2 weeks after inoculation. The neuronal expressions of fos, VIP, and CGRP in the stomach and spinal cord were significantly more marked in the infected groups than in the control group, but there was no significant difference between two infected groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  H. pylori infection induced different degrees of gastric mucosal inflammation in the murine model. Both early and chronic infection groups of mice showed enhanced neuronal expressions of fos, VIP and CGRP of stomach and spinal cord and these could form a basis for appearance of functional dyspeptic symptoms in patients with H. pylori infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiao Bo
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiao Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yan Shen
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhi Zheng
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Wen Zhong
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation / Q000382:microbiology*; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide