Profile of inflammatory mediators in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis evaluated by mRNA transcript

Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis is characterized by a dense infiltration of inflammatory cells. Because H. pylori is a non-invasive bacteria, a signal transduction has to exist which results in an accumulation of granulocytes and lymphocytes into the lamina propria. Chemokines are such chemotactic mediators. The transcripts of these mediators were analyzed in antral biopsies of patients with H. pylori gastritis by means of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The profile of inflammatory mediators showed that H. pylori infection upregulates interleukin (IL)-8 but not ENA-78. This implies that the recruitment of neutrophils, which is a sign of the activity of gastritis, is stimulated by IL-8. In the chronic phase of gastritis the lymphocyte activating cytokine MLP-1 alpha is mainly mediating the signal.