TLR2 and TLR4 expression in inflammatory gastric lesion before and after  Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy


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Aline Cristina Targa Cadamuro1, Patrícia Biselli2, Rodrigo Castro2, Fausto Nasser3, Patrícia Fucuta3, Edla Bedin Polsinelli3, Kenji Miyasaki3, André Volpatto3,4, Ricardo Acayaba4, Eny Maria Goloni Bertollo2, Ana Elizabete Silva1
1UNESP - São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, 2Famerp - School of Medicine, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, 3Base Hospital, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, 4João Paulo II Hospital, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil

Background

H. pylori infection triggers an inflammatory change and an atrophy of mucosa, which may progress through a multi-step process to gastric carcinoma. So, eradication therapy plays an important role to prevent the progression of precancerous lesions. Toll-like receptors, as TLR2 (lipoproteins bacterial receptor) and TLR4 (lipopolysaccharide receptor) are involved in the response to infection by H. pylori on gastric epithelial cells, promoting transcription of genes involved in immune response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA in patients with chronic gastritis-H. pylori-positive (CG-Hp+) before and after eradication therapy.

Method

mRNA relative expression levels were detected in biopsies of 19 patients CG-Hp+ and in 6 patients after eradication therapy for H. pylori employing real-time qPCR assay.

Results

The relative expression levels for TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA were respectively 3.00±0.33 and 3.18±0.40 before treatment. Overexpression was observed in 13/19 (68.4%) cases for the TLR2 and 13/19 (68.4%) cases for the TLR4. Comparing mRNA expression mean levels between CG-Hp+ patients before and after treatment was observed down-regulation for 4/6 (66.7%) cases for TLR2 (mean±SD= -0.85±1,27) and 3/6 (50%) for TLR4 (mean±SD= 0.94±1.33), however, there was a significant difference between CG-Hp+ patients before and after treatment only for the TLR2 (p= 0.03).

Conclusion

The results show a reduction in the expression levels of both TLR2 and TLR4 after H. pylori eradication therapy, and consequently reduction of inflammatory reaction. Thus, the eradication of H. pylori could reverse precancerous lesions and prevent malignant progression.