Background: Polyunsaturated fatty acids, as precursors of eicosanoids, are involved in the pathogenesis of oesophageal mucosal damage and healing.
Aims: To evaluate a possible role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the pathogenesis of gastro-oesophageal reflux, we assayed fatty acids profile of oesophageal mucosal specimens obtained by endoscopy in children without oesophageal disease and children affected by gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.
Patients: Eighteen children with normal 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring (GOR- group) and 18 children with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GOR+ group, eight with oesophagitis and 10 without), were included in the study.
Methods: Fatty acids were extracted from oesophageal mucosal specimens obtained by endoscopy and assayed by gas chromatography.
Results: In the GOR+ group we observed an increased percentage of mucosal polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly arachidonic and docosohexaenoic acids (p<0.01), without differences between groups with and without oesophagitis. Significant positive correlation was found between reflux index and docosahexaenoic acid (r=0.805; p<0.001).
Conclusions: The results obtained show that the current methods are able to reveal changes between normal and pathological mucosa that could be relevant in the pathogenesis of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.