Gastric mucosal interleukin-8 and IL-8 antibody concentrations related to prevailing Helicobacter pylori infections - A Danish-Albanian study

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) appears to initiate an inflamma tory cascade. Thus, phagocytes are accumulated in the gastric mucosa in inf lammatory conditions. Further, a potent chemotactic mediator, interleukin 8 (IL-8) is synthesized at such sites. The recently described IL-8 autoantib odies may, however, counteract the pro-inflammatory actions of IL-8. The sl im was to study the correlation between H. pylori infection and IL-8, toget her with IL-8 autoantibodies in two different populations from a developed and a developing country. Methods: Two different endoscopically characterized populations (65 Danes a nd 89 Albanians) were examined. IL-8 and IL-8 autoantibodies were detected by ELISA techniques, and H. pylori was identified by histological examinati ons. Results: Significantly more Albanian controls and dyspeptic patients (80 ou t of 89 persons) were H. pylori positive as compared to 24 of 65 Danes (p<0 .001). The median IL-8 level among Albanian controls 349 pg/mg protein was significantly higher than among Danes <61 pg/mg protein (p<0.001), and was at the same level as found in Danish peptic ulcer patients (p>0.05). Furthe r, H. pylori positive patients from both countries had significantly higher levels of IL-8 as compared to H. pylori negative patients (p<0.001). Howev er, significantly higher levels of IL-8 autoantibodies were Found in the Al banian sub-population (median 138 O.D. units versus 52 O.D. units among Dan es) (p<0.001). Conclusions: In H. pylori related disorders, a high mucosal IL-8 production has been found. However, this investigation further demonstrates higher le vels of IL-8 autoantibodies among dyspeptic patients from a developing coun try, which might possibly counteract the pro-inflammatory actions of IL-8 b y binding the molecule. The physiological significance of an altered immune response as described here needs to be elucidated in future studies.