Gastric epithelial cells stimulate Helicobacter pylori growth

Helicobacter pylori infects only human gastric epithelium, causes gastritis , and is strongly associated with gastroduodenal ulceration and gastric can cer. Colonization of the stomach with H. pylori is accompanied in the acute stage by an increased number of neutrophils in the lamina propria, indicat ive of gastric inflammation. It is interesting that H. pylori colonizes spe cifically human gastric-type epithelial cells. We studied whether the prese nce of gastric epithelial cells influenced H. pylori growth. H. pylori (NCT C 11637) was cultured on Skirrow agar with 7% horse blood. Kato-III cells, a human gastric cancer cell line, were cultured with RPMI 1640 plus 10% fet al bovine serum (FBS). Kato-III cells (10(5)/ml) were cultured with/without H. pylori (10(8) cfu/ml) with RPMI 1640 + 1% FBS for 3 days. The number of Kato-III cells was counted with a hemacytometer. H. pylori with/without Ka to-III cells was cultured with RPMI 1640 + 10% FBS for 2 hours, and plated on Skirrow agar. After 3 days we counted the number of H. pylori colonies. To detect the H. pylori colonies, we used a colony hybridization method. DN A of colonies was transferred to positively charged nylon membrane and hybr idized by PCR with Hpl (5'-CTG-GAG-AGA-CTA-AGC-CCT-CC-3') and Hp2 (5'-ATT-A CT-GAC-GCT-GAT-TGT-GC-3')-amplified primers. We previously reported that th e number of Kato-III cells was significantly decreased by co-incubation wit h H. pylori. The number of H. pylori colonies was significantly increased b y coincubation with Kato-III cells. We conclude that the presence of human gastric epithelial cells is important for the growth of H. pylori.