Role of oxygen-derived free radicals in Helicobacter pylori water extract-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, the main cause of chronic gastritis, increases gastric cancer risk. The infection causes inflammatory cells to produce reactive oxygen metabolites that may damage DNA and promote carcinogenesis. However, its precise role in gastric carcinogenesis is as yet unknown. Recently we reported that H. pylori water extract (HPE) has an initiating activity on two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis. In this study, we investigated the effects of anti-oxidants, ascorbic acid and a combination of superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD)and catalase, on two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis. Ascorbic acid and CuZnSOD/catalase were given to mice during the period of HPE-initiation. Both the ascorbic acid and CuZnSOD/catalase treatment attenuated the incidence of tumor formation. The present results suggest that HPE induces tumor formation via reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.