The relationship between gastric juice nitrate/nitrite concentrations and gastric mucosal surface pH.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate gastric juice nitrate/nitrite concentration according to mucosal surface pH extent (area) of gastric corpus intimately contacting the gastric juice.


METHODS
We included ninety-nine patients with dyspepsia. To evaluate gastric mucosal surface pH and its extent, gastric chromosocpy was performed by spraying phenol red dye on the corpus mucosa and estimating the extent of area with color changed. Nitrate/nitrite concentrations and pH of gastric juice were measured by ELISA and pH meter, respectively. Silver staining was done to histologically confirm the presence of Helicobacter pylori.


RESULTS
Intragastric nitrate/nitrite concentrations in patients, showing phenol red staining mucosa were higher than those of unstaining mucosa (p=0.001): the more extensive in the area of phenol red staining area of corpus, the higher gastric juice pH found (r=0.692, p<0.001). Furthermore, the intragastric nitrate/nitrite concentrations correlated positively with gastric juice pH (r=0.481, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The changes of mucosal surface pH and its extent in gastric corpus might affect either pH or nitrate/nitrite level of gastric juice.
Department of Internal Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, 271 Cheonbo-ro, Uijeongbu, Korea.
Hae Kyung
HK
Lee
Hyunjung
H
Kim
Hyung-Keun
HK
Kim
Young-Seok
YS
Cho
Byung-Wook
BW
Kim
Sok-Won
SW
Han
Lee So
LS
Maeng
Hiun-Suk
HS
Chae
Hee Na
HN
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites