Gastric mucus secretion in chronic gastritis

We have studied gastric soluble mucus behaviour in 58 patients with histological evidence of chronic gastritis and without circumscribed lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopically demonstrated, compared with a control group of 8 normal subjects. As mucus secretion parameters, the protein component of mucosubstances, glucosamine, fucose, the free NANA and sulphate groups content were determined with biochemical methods. In cases of superficial gastritis, either diffuse or limited to fundus or to antrum with normal remaining mucosa, we have observed a significant decrease of fucomucines and a significant increase of sulphomucines compared with a control group, without significant quantitative variations of total soluble mucus. In cases of diffuse and limited atrophic gastritis there were more significant qualitative variations of soluble mucus characterized by a higher decrease of neutral mucosubstances with a high increase of the acid ones than in cases of superficial gastritis. Quantitative variations of total soluble mucus were present only in the situation of diffuse to fundus and antrum atrophic gastritis.