Cytokines in the gastric mucosa of children with Helicobacter pylori infection

• Published in: Acta Paediatrica 2004-03, Vol.93 (3), p.322-326
• Main Authors: Shimizu, T, Haruna, H, Ohtsuka, Y, Kaneko, K, Gupta, R, Yamashiro, Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Cytokines - analysis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Gastric Mucosa - chemistry; General aspects; Helicobacter Infections - immunology; Helicobacter Infections - metabolism; Helicobacter pylori; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Interferon-gamma - analysis; interferon-γ; interleukin-4; Interleukin-4 - analysis; interleukin-8; Interleukin-8 - analysis; Male; Medical sciences; Neutrophils - chemistry; polymorphonuclear leukocyte; Pyloric Antrum - chemistry
• ISSN: 0803-5253; 1651-2227
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2004.tb02955.x

Aim: Few studies have looked at the cytokine profile in gastric mucosa in children with Helicobacter pylori infection. This study investigated cytokines and their effects on histological abnormalities in the gastric mucosa of children with H. pylori infection. Methods: The levels of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and IL‐8 proteins were measured in biopsy specimens from the gastric antrum and corpus of children with H. pylori infection, and related to inflammatory cell infiltrations. Results: The antral and corporal mucosal levels of IFN‐γ and IL‐8 proteins were significantly higher in children with H. pylori infection than in uninfected children, but there was no such difference in the levels of IL‐4 protein. The antral mucosal level of IL‐8 protein was significantly higher than the corporal mucosal level of IL‐8 protein in the infected children. Inflammatory cell infiltration was significantly higher in the infected children than in the uninfected children, but there were no significant correlations between mucosal cytokine levels and inflammatory cell infiltrations. Conclusion: The results suggest that the predominant Th1 cytokine response and enhanced IL‐8 production in the mucosa may be involved in the gastric inflammation seen in children infected with H. pylori, as well as in adult patients.