HELICOBACTER PYLORI-INDUCED LIPID-PEROXIDATION IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES

Several lines of evidence implicate Helicobacter pylori infection in t he pathogenesis of gastritis and peptic ulceration. To investigate whe ther H. pylori can cause lipid peroxidation in lymphocytes in vitro an d to look for experimental evidence of lipid peroxidation induced by H . pylori, the lipid peroxide (LPO) level in peripheral blood lymphocyt es was measured using the thiobarbituric acid fluorescence method. In the absence of added H. pylori, the LPO level in lymphocytes was 0.133 +/-0.033 nmol/10(6) cells, and in the co-culture of H. pylori with per ipheral blood mononuclear cells 0.340+/-0.097 nmol/10(6) cells. A sign ificant difference was found between the two groups (p<0.001). antioxi dants, either superoxide dismutase or catalase, could inhibit LPO prod uction in lymphocytes. The present data provide further evidence that H. pylori can induce lipid peroxidation, which may be responsible for the pathogenesis of H. pylori-associated mucosal damage.