Relationship between the Telomerase Activation and Helicobacter pylori Infection in Benign and Precancerous Lesion of the Stomach

Jang, Hyun Joo; Kim, Jung Han; Hong, Su Jin; Kang, Seung Sik; Kae, Sea Hyub; Lee, Jin; Joo, Sang Aun

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Telomerase activity has been detected not only in human cancers but also in precancerous lesion (e.g., intestinal metaplasia). It suggests that telomerase activation may be an early event in carcinigenesis, but it is not clear how telomerase is activited. Recently, Helicobacter pylori infection is known to be closely associated with intestinal metaplasia and gatric cancer. Thus, it is possibile that H. pylori infection may induce telomerase activation in intestinal metaplasia. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between telomerase activation and H. pylori infection.
METHODS
For 129 patients with gastric ulcer (n=20), chronic gastritis (n=34), gastric polyp (n=15), and intestinal metaplasia (n=60), telomerase activity was measured by Telomerase PCR ELISAR kit and H. pylori infection was determined by CLOR kit.
RESULTS
Telomerase activity was not detected in the patients with gastric ulcer, and chronic gastritis, gastric polyp, regardless of H. pylori infection. However, in 60 cases of intestinal metaplasia, telomerase activity was detected in 17 samples (28%). Among them, 12 samples were H. pylori positive, and the remaining 5 were H. pylori negative. The telomerase positivity was a little higher in the patients with H. pylori-positive intestinal metaplasia than in those with H. pylori-negative intestinal metaplasia, but the difference was not statistically significant (32% vs. 23% p=0.468).
CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that H. pylori infection can play a role partially, but is not the only cause of telomerase activation in intestinal metaplasia.