News Release

A further study of Helicobacter pylori reducing gastric blood flow

Peer-Reviewed Publication

World Journal of Gastroenterology

Gastric mucosal blood flow has a vital role in gastric mucosal protection. A high blood flow is considered a good protection against injury, as it dilutes, neutralizes, and removes hazardous substances that have penetrated the gastric mucosal barrier. A research group in Sweden has previously found that a water extract of H. pylori reduces the mucosal blood flow in rats by a mast cell- and platelet activating factor (PAF)-dependent pathway. In this study they further investigated the mechanisms behind the reduction in blood flow in mice. This will be published on January 14, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

In their study, the stomachs of isoflurane-anesthetized mice were exteriorized, and the mucosal surface exposed. Blood flow was measured with the laser-Doppler technique, and systemic arterial blood pressure monitored. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to water extract produced from H. pylori strain 88-23. To investigate the role of a nerveor iNOS-mediated pathway, they used intraluminal lidocaine and iNOS-/- mice. Blood flow response to the endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) was also assessed.

They found that in wild-type mice, the water extract of H. pylori decreased mucosal blood flow by approximately 30%. This reduction was abolished in iNOS-deficient mice, and by pre-treatment with lidocaine. Luminally applied ADMA resulted in reduction in blood flow similar to that observed in wild-type mice exposed to the water extract of H. pylori.

The results indicated that H. pylori water extract reduces gastric mucosal blood flow acutely through an iNOS- and nerve-mediated pathway. This will be very importance to understand the development of gastric inflammation.

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Reference: Henriksnäs J, Atuma C, Phillipson M, Sandler S, Engstrand L, Holm L. Acute effects of Helicobacter pylori extracts on gastric mucosal blood flow in the mouse. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(2): 219-225 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/219.asp

Correspondence to: Johanna Henriksnäs, Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, PO Box 571, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden. johanna.henriksnas@mcb.uu.se

About World Journal of Gastroenterology

World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H. pylori infection and provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2003-2000 IF: 3.318, 2.532, 1.445 and 0.993. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of every month. WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the name of China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.

About The WJG Press

The WJG Press mainly publishes World Journal of Gastroenterology.


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