Reduced secretion of epidermal growth factor in duodenal ulcer patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

AIM: To investigate the concentration changes of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in duodenal ulcer patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.

METHODS

Immunoreactive concentration of somatostatin, gastrin and epidermal growth factor of gastric and saliva juice in healthy volunteers, and chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcer patients with H. pylori infection were measured by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS

Gastrin concentration of gastric juice in H. pylori-positive chronic gastritis (P > 0.05) and duodenal ulcer patients (P < 0.01) was higher than that of healthy volunteers (P < 0.05), whereas som atostatin concentration of gastric juice in chronic gastritis (P < 0.05) and duodenal ulcer patients (P < 0.01) was lower than that in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, EGF levels of gastric and saliva juice in duodenal ulcer patients with H. pylori infection (n = 10, 272.0 ng/L ± 96.3 ng/L and 8.3 ng/L ± 2.4 ng/L, respectively) were significantly lower than that in healthy volunteers (n = 12, 405.6 ng/L ± 35.6 ng/mL and 22.0 ng/L ± 17.0 ng/L, respectively) and in H. pylori-positive chronic gastritis patients (n = 25, 423.0 ng/L ± 104.0 ng/L and 22.0 ng/L ± 11.1 ng/L, respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

A lower secretion of EGF may be a causative factor in the pathogenesis of H. pylori-positive duodenal ulcer.