Relation
of lactoferrin levels in gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori infection
and with the degree of gastric inflammation.
Nakao K, Imoto
I, Ikemura N, Shibata T, Takaji S, Taguchi Y, Misaki M, Yamauchi K,
Yamazaki N
Am J Gastroenterol 1997 Jun 92:1005-11
Am J Gastroenterol
Volume 92 ? Issue 6
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
Lactoferrin (Lf)
is an iron-binding glycoprotein present in milk, lacrimae, saliva,
and gastroduodenal secretions. In vitro studies disclosed contradicting
results regarding the relation of Lf with Helicobacter pylori (HP)
infection. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between
the gastric mucosal concentration of Lf and HP infection of the stomach.
The relationship
of the gastric mucosal level of Lf with the gastric mucosal concentration
of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and with the intragastric ammonia levels was
also assessed. In addition, the gastric mucosal Lf levels before and
after irradication of HP infection were also evaluated. METHODS: This
study was composed of 27 HP-positive and 12 HP-negative patients with
chronic gastritis.
Gastric mucosal
biopsy specimens were obtained from all subjects by endoscopy, and
the degree of histological inflammatory changes were assessed according
to the Sydney system. The gastric mucosal levels of Lf and IL-8 were
measured by immunoassays. Assessment of the effect of therapy on the
gastric mucosal level of Lf was performed in 10 patients with HP-associated
duodenal ulcer. RESULTS: Lf, IL-8, and ammonia levels were significantly
higher in patients with HP-positive gastritis compared with those
with HP-negative gastritis in both the antrum and the gastric body.
Histologically, the degree of inflammatory changes correlated significantly
with the Lf levels in the gastric mucosa.
Furthermore,
the degree of HP colonization was more significant in biopsy samples
from the antrum than in those from the corpus of the stomach. The
gastric mucosal levels of Lf and IL-8 correlated significantly in
the antrum and the gastric body.
The ammonia intragastric
level significantly correlated with the mucosal Lf level in the antrum
and in the gastric body. Therapy significantly decreased the Lf levels
in the gastric mucosa of the antrum (p < 0.005) and the gastric
body (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: The results of the present investigation
showed, for the first time in vivo, that Lf concentration is increased
in the biopsy specimens of patients with HP-related gastritis, and
that the levels of Lf correlate significantly with the degree of inflammation
of the gastric mucosa. The gastric mucosal level of Lf may constitute
an excellent marker of HP infection.
MeSH
Author Address
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine,
the National Tsu Hospital, Japan.
Articles
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