Hypochlorous acid, which is one of the reactive oxgen species (ROS) produced from human neutrophils, is converted to cytotoxic NH(2)Cl after reaction with ammonia produced by urease in Helicobacter pylori (HP), increasing gastric mucosal injury and with potential development to gastric cancer. We compared the effects of HP on the production of ROS by human neutrophils between two groups-22 patients with gastric cancer and 16 patients without gastric cancer (control group), in whom HP was isolated from stomach biopsy tissues-using a luminol- and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (LmCL and LgCL, respectively). It was very similar in the mean value or variance of mean maximal chemiluminescence intensities (MCI) and peak time in LmCL and LgCL between the two groups. MCI of LmCL was highly correlated with that of LgCL in both groups. These results indicate that there were no differences in the behaviour of HP on human neutrophil chemiluminescence between two groups. The progression from non-malignant mucosa to cancer may be associated with the time-dependent effects of HP via ROS produced by neutrophils on the gastric mucosa.
Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.