title: Childhood chronic gastritis and duodenitis: Role of altered sensory neuromediators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the roles of the neuropeptides vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), substance P (SP), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in chronic gastritis and duodenitis in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsy samples from the gastric and duodenal mucosa of 52 patients and 30 control subjects were obtained. Samples were taken for pathological examination, immunohistochemical staining, enzyme activity measurements and quantitative measurements of tissue peptide levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed differential effects of the disease on peptide levels, which were somewhat different from previously reported changes in chronic gastritis in adults. Specifically, SP was increased and CGRP and VIP were decreased in patients with gastritis. The changes were more prominent at sites where gastritis was severe, but significant changes were also observed in neighboring areas where gastritis was less severe. Furthermore, the degree of changes was correlated with the pathological grade of the disease. The expression of CD10, the enzyme primarily involved in SP hydrolysis, was also decreased in patients with duodenitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on these findings, we propose that decreased levels of VIP and CGRP and increased levels of SP contribute to pathological changes in gastric mucosa. Hence, new treatments targeting these molecules may have therapeutic and preventive effects.
authors.affiliation: Ali Islek, Aygen Yilmaz, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya 07070, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Islek
authors.affiliation: Ali Islek, Aygen Yilmaz, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya 07070, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aygen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: Ali Islek, Aygen Yilmaz, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya 07070, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulsum Ozlem
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Elpek
authors.affiliation: Ali Islek, Aygen Yilmaz, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya 07070, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nuray
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Erin
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain; D000293:Adolescent; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004382:Duodenitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D015260:Neprilysin / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D013373:Substance P / Q000378:metabolism; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D013373:Substance P; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D015260:Neprilysin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
keywords: Childhood; Gastritis; Neuropeptides; Neutral endopeptidase