Serum gastrin and mucosal somatostatin in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis

The aims were to study gastrin concentrations and gastric mucosal somatostatin and gastrin concentrations in relation to the extent of gastritis in Helicobacter infection.

We measured basal serum gastrin concentrations in antral mucosal biopsy specimens and somatostatin concentrations in corpus biopsy specimens in 88 consecutive dyspeptic subjects undergoing endoscopy. These subjects were divided into three categories on the basis of histology, serology, and culture: H. pylori-positive pangastritis, H. pylori positive antral gastritis with normal body histology, and H. pylori-negative controls. Statistical evaluation was done with the Wilcoxon rank sum test.

Basal serum gastrin concentrations were significantly increased only in subjects with pangastritis and not in those with antral gastritis only, as compared with controls (mean +/- SEM: 72 +/- 7, 46 +/- 10, and 42 +/- 7 ng/l, respectively). Subjects with pangastritis or antral gastritis had significantly lower antral somatostatin concentrations than controls (mean +/- SEM: 0.80 +/- 0.07, 1.03 +/- 0.15, and 2.40 +/- 0.31 micrograms/g(protein), respectively). We also found significantly lower antral gastritis only as compared with controls (mean +/- SEM: 62 +/- 13, 78 +/- 16, and 165 +/- 25 micrograms/g(protein), respectively). In subjects with pangastritis a significantly lower concentration of somatostatin was found in the corpus biopsy specimens than in those with antral gastritis only and controls.

These results suggest that hypergastrinemia in H. pylori gastritis is not caused by antral gastritis and antral somatostatin deficiency alone but that corpus inflammation plays a key role in the origin of hypergastrinemia. Furthermore, in patients with pangastritis a corpus mucosal somatostatin deficiency was found.