Published online Oct 1, 1995. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v1.i1.25
Revised: June 10, 1995
Accepted: August 20, 1995
Published online: October 1, 1995
AIM: To study the changes of antral endocrine cells in Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, and to observe the relation between Hp infection and the number of gastrin (G) cells and somatostatin (D) cells.
METHODS: Sixty-five cases, 18 with Hp infection and 47 without Hp, were analyzed by endoscopy and immunohistochemical staining of the antral mucosal biopsies using antibodies against chromogranin A, gastrin, somatostatin, and bombesin. The positive cells were quantitatively studied by an image analyzer.
RESULTS: In the Hp infection group, the results were following: 71.28 G cells/mm2, 5.32 D cells/mm2, 8.68 bombesin positive cells/mm2, and the G/D cell ratio was 13.40. By contrast, in the group without Hp infection, the number of G cells was 67.75/mm2 while the number of D cells and bombesin positive cells were 13.65/mm2 and 5.31/mm2, respectively, with the ratio of G/D cells of 5.05. The difference in the number of D cells and the G/D cell ratio was statistically significant between the two groups (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The gastrin increase in patients with Hp infection may be due to the decrease in D cells and somatostatin secretion.