Helicobacter Pylori
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 21, 2005; 11(31): 4782-4787
Published online Aug 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i31.4782
High concentrations of human β-defensin 2 in gastric juice of patients with Helicobacter pylori infection
Hajime Isomoto, Hiroshi Mukae, Hiroshi Ishimoto, Yoshito Nishi, Chun-Yang Wen, Akihiro Wada, Ken Ohnita, Toshiya Hirayama, Masamitsu Nakazato, Shigeru Kohno
Hajime Isomoto, Hiroshi Mukae, Hiroshi Ishimoto, Yoshito Nishi, Ken Ohnita, Shigeru Kohno, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto 1-7-1, Nagasaki, Japan
Chun-Yang Wen, Department of Molecular Pathology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto 12-4, Nagasaki, Japan
Akihiro Wada, Toshiya Hirayama, Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto 12-4, Nagasaki, Japan
Masamitsu Nakazato, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Miyazaki Medical College, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Hajime Isomoto, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan. hajimei2002@yahoo.co.jp
Telephone: +81-95-849-7567 Fax: +81-95-849-7568
Received: September 19, 2004
Revised: January 1, 2005
Accepted: January 5, 2005
Published online: August 21, 2005
Abstract

AIM: Human β-defensin (HBD)-1 and HBD-2 are endogenous antimicrobial peptides. Unlike HBD-1, the HBD-2 expression is augmented by Helicobacter pylori (H pylori). We sought to determine HBD-1 and HBD-2 concentrations in gastric juice during H pylori infection.

METHODS: HBD-1 and HBD-2 concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in plasma and gastric juice of 49 H pylori-infected and 33 uninfected subjects and before and after anti-H pylori treatment in 13 patients with H pylori-associated gastritis. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 concentrations in gastric juice were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Histological grades of gastritis were determined using two biopsy specimens taken from the antrum and corpus. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to identify HBD-2.

RESULTS: HBD-2 concentrations in gastric juice, but not in plasma, were significantly higher in H pylori-positive than -negative subjects, albeit the post-treatment levels were unchanged. Immunoreactivity for HBD-2 was exclusively identified in H pylori-infected mucosa by RP-HPLC. HBD-2 concentrations in gastric juice correlated with histological degree of neutrophil and mononuclear cell infiltration in the corpus. IL-1β levels correlated with those of IL-8, but not HBD-2. Plasma and gastric juice HBD-1 concentrations were similar in H pylori-infected and uninfected subjects.

CONCLUSION: Our results place the β-defensins, especially HBD-2, in the front line of innate immune defence. Moreover, HBD-2 may be involved in the pathogenesis of H pylori-associated gastritis, possibly through its function as immune and inflammatory mediator.

Keywords: β-Defensin 1; β-Defensin 2; Helicobacter pylori