Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori colonization by sulfated gastric mucin

The role of human gastric mucin in mucosal protection against Helicobacter pylori colonization was investigated. H. pylori cells were incubated with purified intact mucin or its acidic fractions and then examined for their inhibitory capacity of H. pylori attachment to erythrocytes. Titration data established that the inhibitory activity of mucin was associated with its acidic component as the fraction enriched in sialic acid and sulfate showed 16-fold higher inhibitory titer than that of the intact mucin. While the inhibitory titer of acidic mucin fraction was not affected by the removal of sialic acid, the desulfation led to a complete loss of its inhibitory activity, thus pointing towards the importance of sulfate ester groups in this process. The results for the first time point towards the involvement of sulfomucins in the protection of gastric mucosa against colonization by H. pylori.