title: Association of the virulence factors of Helicobacter pylori and gastric mucosal interleukin-17/23 mRNA expression in dyspeptic patients.
abstract: The molecular pathways that control Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-associated inflammatory reaction are complex, but locally induced cytokines and virulence factors seem to have a major role in maintaining the ongoing inflammation. Therefore this study was aimed to evaluate the association of the virulence factors of Hp and gastric mucosal interleukin-17/23 mRNA expression in dyspeptic patients. Mucosal IL-17 and IL-23 mRNA expression in H. pylori infected and non-infected gastric biopsies were determined by real-time RT-PCR. Virulence factors, vac-A and cag-A were evaluated using PCR. There was no significant difference in mucosal IL-17 and IL-23 mRNA expression between H. pylori infected and non-infected patients. Their expression in mucosa did not correlate with chronic gastritis and chronic active gastritis. IL-17 and IL-23 mRNA expression in mucosa of patients with vacA m1 were significantly higher than those observed in patients with vacA m2. The severity of polymorphonuclear infiltration and chronic active gastritis was higher in cag-A positive than cag-A negative patients. H. pylori infections carrying the vacA m1 allele have higher IL-17 and IL-23 mRNA and the current study suggests that the virulence factor vacA allele's m1 are important for the severe gastric inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghorbanali
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rahimian
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Loghman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salimzadeh
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azadegan
authors.affiliation: Medical Plants Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafieian-Kopaei
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taghikhani
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Hedayatollah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shirzad
keywords: H. pylori; gastritis; interleukin; virulence factor