BACKGROUND: Gastric carcinoids are strongly associated with chronic atrophic gastritis A, and it is suggested that hypergastrinemia plays a critical role in development of gastric carcinoids. Since Helicobacter pylori infection causes hypergastrinemia, it is held that H. pylori infection produces gastric carcinoids. We followed the histological changes of H. pylori-infected stomachs of Mongolian gerbils for a long time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five-week-old-male Mongolian gerbils were infected with H. pylori ATCC 43504 with cagA gene, expressing vacuolating cytotoxin. Determination of the serum gastrin and histopathological examination of the stomach at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after H. pylori inoculation was studied and compared with uninfected animals. RESULTS: In infected animals, the gastric carcinomas appeared 18 and 24 months after infection. Endocrine cell dysplasias and carcinoids with marked atrophic gastritis of the oxyntic mucosa were observed in the infected animals 24 months after H. pylori inoculation. The serum gastrin level in the infected group increased from an average of 86.2 pg/ml at the beginning of the study to an average of 498 pg/ml and 989 pg/ml at 18 and 24 months after infection, respectively. These changes in the serum gastrin levels were significant compared with uninfected controls that showed no changes. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection caused not only gastric carcinomas but also enterochromaffin-like cell tumors in Mongolian gerbils, due to hypergastrinemia. This model is thought to be useful to study the relationship between hypergastrinemia and gastric carcinoids.
BACKGROUND:Gastric carcinoids are strongly associated with chronic atrophic gastritis A, and it is suggested that hypergastrinemia plays a critical role in development of gastric carcinoids. Since Helicobacter pylori infection causes hypergastrinemia, it is held that H. pylori infection produces gastric carcinoids. We followed the histological changes of H. pylori-infected stomachs of Mongolian gerbils for a long time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five-week-old-male Mongolian gerbils were infected with H. pylori ATCC 43504 with cagA gene, expressing vacuolating cytotoxin. Determination of the serum gastrin and histopathological examination of the stomach at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after H. pylori inoculation was studied and compared with uninfected animals. RESULTS: In infected animals, the gastric carcinomas appeared 18 and 24 months after infection. Endocrine cell dysplasias and carcinoids with marked atrophic gastritis of the oxyntic mucosa were observed in the infected animals 24 months after H. pylori inoculation. The serum gastrin level in the infected group increased from an average of 86.2 pg/ml at the beginning of the study to an average of 498 pg/ml and 989 pg/ml at 18 and 24 months after infection, respectively. These changes in the serum gastrin levels were significant compared with uninfected controls that showed no changes. CONCLUSIONS:H. pylori infection caused not only gastric carcinomas but also enterochromaffin-like cell tumors in Mongolian gerbils, due to hypergastrinemia. This model is thought to be useful to study the relationship between hypergastrinemia and gastric carcinoids.
Authors: Giovanni Vitale; Alessandra Dicitore; Luigi Barrea; Emilia Sbardella; Paola Razzore; Severo Campione; Antongiulio Faggiano; Annamaria Colao; Manuela Albertelli; Barbara Altieri; Filomena Bottiglieri; Federica De Cicco; Sergio Di Molfetta; Giuseppe Fanciulli; Tiziana Feola; Diego Ferone; Francesco Ferraù; Marco Gallo; Elisa Giannetta; Federica Grillo; Erika Grossrubatscher; Elia Guadagno; Valentina Guarnotta; Andrea M Isidori; Andrea Lania; Andrea Lenzi; Fabio Lo Calzo; Pasquale Malandrino; Erika Messina; Roberta Modica; Giovanna Muscogiuri; Luca Pes; Genoveffa Pizza; Riccardo Pofi; Giulia Puliani; Carmen Rainone; Laura Rizza; Manila Rubino; Rosa Maria Ruggieri; Franz Sesti; Mary Anna Venneri; Maria Chiara Zatelli Journal: Rev Endocr Metab Disord Date: 2020-09-15 Impact factor: 9.306