A RADICAL VIEW OF THE STOMACH - THE ROLE OF OXYGEN-DERIVED FREE-RADICALS AND ANTIOXIDANTS IN GASTRODUODENAL DISEASE

Following the discovery of Helicobacter pylori, the last decade has se en major advances in our understanding of gastroduodenal disease. Howe ver, our knowledge remains incomplete and the exact mechanism by which H. pylori causes inflammation and ulceration is still not known. The role of H. pylori in relation to other well known risk factors for gas troduodenal disease such as diet, smoking and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is also unclear. Free radicals are highly tox ic chemical species and evidence presented in this review suggests tha t they play an important role in the pathophysiology of gastroduodenal disease caused by many risk factors, including H. pylori. Dietary ant ioxidant deficiency may be a major factor in the development of gastri c cancer and may exacerbate the carcinogenesis of nitrosamines. Antiox idant deficiency, either dietary or secondary to increased requirement s as in smoking, may be a factor in the development of disease followi ng H. pylori infection. The time now appears to be ripe for studies of novel antioxidant therapeutic strategies for gastroduodenal disease.