Qb. Zhang et al., ASSOCIATION OF ANTRAL MUCOSAL LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-8 AND REACTIVE OXYGEN RADICALS IN PATIENTS INFECTED WITH HELICOBACTER-PYLORI, Clinical science, 92(1), 1997, pp. 69-73
1. Helicobacter pylori infection is characterized by an infiltration o
f neutrophils in the gastric mucosa, Neutrophil activation is an impor
tant source of reactive oxygen radicals, which cause tissue damage, St
udies have shown that in Helicobacter pylori-infected patients there i
s increased mucosal production of interleukin 8, However, the role of
interleukin 8 in the Helicobacter pylori-related inflammatory process
and its relationship with reactive oxygen radicals remains to be clari
fied, The aims of this study were to investigate if there is any assoc
iation between antral mucosal levels of interleukin 8 and reactive oxy
gen radicals and their relationship to gastric antral inflammation, 2.
Fifty-two patients referred for endoscopy were recruited into the stu
dy, Gastric antral biopsies were taken for histology, culture and meas
urement of interleukin 8 and chemiluminescence (measuring reactive oxy
gen radicals), Interleukin 8 was measured by ELISA and the result expr
essed as pg/mg biopsy, Luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence was measured
as mV min(-1) mg(-1) biopsy. Antral inflammation was assessed by a pa
thologist in a blinded fashion, 3. Antral mucosal levels of interleuki
n 8 and reactive oxygen radicals were significantly higher in Helicoba
cter pylori-colonized mucosa than in Helicobacter pylori-negative muco
sa, After the eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients with duod
enal ulcer the median values (ranges) of interleukin 8 and reactive ox
ygen radicals fell from 1.21 (0.10-2.40) to 0.65 (0.00-1.60) and from
110.0 (10.0-959.0) to 14.5 (0.0-85.0) respectively, There was a positi
ve correlation between interleukin 8 concentration and chemiluminescen
ce response in the antral mucosa (r = 0.72), A higher interleukin 8 co
ncentration was greater neutrophil infiltration mononuclear cell infil
tration (r = 0.55); the magnitude of the chemiluminescence response wa
s also positively associated with neutrophil (r = 0.77) and mononuclea
r cell infiltration (r = 0.59), 4. Interleukin 8 concentration is asso
ciated with an infiltration of neutrophils and mononuclear cells and i
s correlated with the production of reactive oxygen radicals in antral
gastric mucosa infected with Helicobacter pylori, These findings sugg
est that interleukin 8 may be important in attracting and activating p
hagocytes to release reactive oxygen radicals, thereby causing mucosal
damage.