Salivary immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor (IR-hEGF) in patients with peptic ulcer disease

EGF is reported to have a potent protective effect on peptic ulcer formation in rats. In this study, we measured the IR-hEGF concentrations in the saliva of normal human subjects and patients with peptic ulcer disease or non-peptic ulcer gastroduodenal disease. In normal subjects, the level of salivary IR-hEGF was highest in the early morning, and the values in individuals on different days showed small variations. There were no sex differences or age-related changes in the salivary IR-hEGF levels. The concentrations of the peptide were lower in patients in the active (0.96 +/- 26 ng/ml, mean +/- SE, n = 4) and healing stages (1.06 +/- 0.24 ng/ml, n = 8) of peptic ulcer disease as compared with those in normal subjects (3.19 +/- 0.46 ng/ml, n = 47). No significant differences in salivary IR-hEGF levels were observed between normal subjects and patients in the scaring stage of peptic ulcer disease (2.40 +/- 0.42 ng/ml, n = 21), or those with gastric cancer (2.44 +/- 0.27 ng/ml, n = 21) and atrophic or superficial gastritis (2.31 +/- 0.34 ng/ml, n = 28). Although the pathophysiological significance of these lower salivary IR-hEGF levels in patients with peptic ulcer disease is unclear, it is possible that the low level of hEGF in saliva may decrease the resistance of the mucosa to physicochemical stress, and thus participate in the development of the diseases.