Inflammatory responses induced by Helicobacter pylori on the carcinogenesis of gastric epithelial GES‑1 cells

Gut-brain axis interplay via STAT3 pathway: Implications of Helicobacter pylori derived secretome on inflammation and Alzheimer's disease

Helicobacter pylori is a pathogenic bacterium that causes gastritis and gastric carcinoma. Besides gastric complications its potential link with gut-brain axis disruption and neurological disorders has also been reported. The current study investigated the plausible role and its associated molecular mechanism underlying H. pylori mediated gut-brain axis disruption and neuroinflammation leading to neurological modalities like Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have chosen the antimicrobial resistant and susceptible H. pylori strains on the basis of broth dilution method. We have observed the increased inflammatory response exerted by H. pylori strains in the gastric as well as in the neuronal compartment after treatment with Helicobacter pylori derived condition media (HPCM). Further, elevated expression of STAT1, STAT3, and AD-associated proteins- APP and APOE4 was monitored in HPCM-treated neuronal and neuron-astrocyte co-cultured cells. Excessive ROS generation has been found in these cells. The HPCM treatment to LN229 causes astrogliosis, evidenced by increased glial fibrillary acidic protein. Our results indicate the association of STAT3 as an important regulator in the H. pylori-mediated pathogenesis in neuronal cells. Notably, the inhibition of STAT3 by its specific inhibitor, BP-1-102, reduced the expression of pSTAT3 and AD markers in neuronal compartment induced by HPCM. Thus, our study demonstrates that H. pylori infection exacerbates inflammation in AGS cells and modulates the activity of STAT3 regulatory molecules. H. pylori secretome could affect neurological compartments by promoting STAT3 activation and inducing the expression of AD-associated signature markers. Further, pSTAT-3 inhibition mitigates the H. pylori associated neuroinflammation and amyloid pathology.

Prediction of canceration of gastric ulcer with serum pepsinogen Ⅰ/Ⅱ ratio and gastrin-17

BACKGROUND

Screening sensitivity markers for canceration of gastric ulcer is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer. Previous studies have suggested that pepsinogen and gastrin-17 (G-17) may have appreciated value in the prediction of early gastric cancer, but there is still no definitive consensus on this.

AIM

To assess the clinical value of serum pepsinogen I (PGⅠ)/pepsinogen Ⅱ (PGⅡ) ratio combined with G-17 in predicting canceration of gastric ulcer to provide sensitive biochemical markers for early diagnosis of gastric cancer.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 215 patients with gastric ulcer at our hospital from July 2020 to April 2023. According to the histopathological diagnosis by gastroscopy, the patients were divided into either a simple ulcer group (184 cases) or a gastric cancer group (31 cases). Serum PGⅠ, PGⅡ, G-17, and tumor markers [including carbohydrate antigen (CA)724, CA199, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and ferritin] were detected on admission. The delta over baseline (DOB) value of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection was measured by the ¹³C breath test.

RESULTS

There were no differences in gender, age, DOB value, or disease course between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the simple ulcer group, serum levels of PGⅡ, G-17, CA724, CA199, and CEA in the gastric cancer group were increased, while PGⅠ, ferritin, and PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio were decreased (P < 0.05). Spearman test showed that PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio was negatively correlated with G-17, CA724, CA199, and CEA, and positively correlated with ferritin (P < 0.05). G-17 was positively correlated with CA724, CA199, and CEA, and negatively correlated with ferritin (P < 0.05). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio and G-17 for diagnosing canceration of gastric ulcer was 0.804 and 0.742, respectively. The AUC of PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio combined with G-17 was 0.899, significantly higher than that of either indicator alone (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The decrease of serum PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio and increase of G-17 are closely related to the canceration of gastric ulcer. The combination of PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio and G-17 has good predictive performance for canceration of gastric ulcer. PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio and G-17 can serve as sensitive biomarkers for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Correlation of Helicobacter pylori infection with Her-2, CyclinD1 and miR-223 in gastric cancer tissues: Effect on tumor aggressiveness

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is one of the risk factors for gastric carcinogenesis, but its exact carcinogenic mechanism is not clear. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), cell cycle protein D1 (CyclinD1), and microRNA-223 (miR-223) also have important roles in gastric carcinogenesis and cancer progression. We hypothesized that H. pylori infection may affect Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 expression and thus influence the progression of the disease.

AIM

To investigate the correlation between H. pylori infection and Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 expression in gastric cancer tissues and their effects on tumor aggressiveness.

METHODS

Fifty-four patients with gastric cancer treated at our hospital from June 2018 to June 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Tumor tissues and paraneoplastic tissues more than 5 cm away from the tumor were collected from the patients. The expression of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 was detected and compared between gastric cancer tissues and paraneoplastic tissues. Clinical data and the expression of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 were compared between H. pylori infected and uninfected patients. The relationship of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 expression in gastric cancer tissues with H. pylori infection and the clinical characteristics of patients with H. pylori infection were analyzed.

RESULTS

The expression of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 in gastric cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues adjacent to the cancer (P < 0.05). Tumor infiltration depth and lymph node metastasis differed significantly between H. pylori infected and uninfected gastric cancer patients (P < 0.05). The differences in the expression of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 in gastric cancer tissues were also statistically significant between H. pylori-infected and uninfected patients (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the expression of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223, tumor infiltration depth, and lymph node metastasis were associated with H. pylori infection in gastric cancer (P < 0.05). The expression of Her-2, CyclinD1, and miR-223 in gastric cancer patients with H. pylori infection was associated with the degree of differentiation, depth of infiltration, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

H. pylori infection is associated with the expression of Her-2, CyclinD1 and miR-223 in gastric cancer tissues, which may be jointly involved in the infiltration and metastasis of gastric cancer.

Sustained Exposure to Helicobacter pylori Lysate Inhibits Apoptosis and Autophagy of Gastric Epithelial Cells

Helicobacter pylori is designated as a class I carcinogen of human gastric cancer following long-term infection. During this process, H. pylori bacteria persist in proliferation and death, and release bacterial components that come into contact with gastric epithelial cells and regulate host cell function. However, the impact of long-term exposure to H. pylori lysate on the pathological changes of gastric cells is not clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulation and mechanisms involved in gastric cell dysfunction following continuous exposure to H. pylori lysate. We co-cultured gastric cell lines GES-1 and MKN-45 with H. pylori lysate for 30 generations, and we found that sustained exposure to H. pylori lysate inhibited GES-1 cell invasion, migration, autophagy, and apoptosis, while it did not inhibit MKN-45 cell invasion or migration. Furthermore, Mongolian gerbils infected with H. pylori ATCC 43504 strains for 90 weeks confirmed the in vitro results. The clinical and in vitro data indicated that sustained exposure to H. pylori lysate inhibited cell apoptosis and autophagy through the Nod1-NF-κB/MAPK-ERK/FOXO4 signaling pathway. In conclusion, sustained exposure to H. pylori lysate promoted proliferation of gastric epithelial cells and inhibited autophagy and apoptosis via Nod1-NF-κB/MAPK-ERK/FOXO4 signaling pathway. In the process of H. pylori-induced gastric lesions, H. pylori lysate plays as an “accomplice” to carcinogenesis.

Recombinant Costimulatory Fusion Proteins as Functional Immunomodulators Enhance Antitumor Activity in Murine B16F10 Melanoma

Blocking inhibitory signaling and engaging stimulatory signaling have emerged as important therapeutic modalities for cancer immunotherapy. This study aimed to investigate immunomodulatory features of three recombinant costimulatory ligand proteins in a mouse model, which are extracellular domains of OX40-ligand (OX40L), 4-1BB-ligand (4-1BBL), or two domains in tandem, fused with the transmembrane domain of diphtheria toxin (DTT), named DTT-COS1, DTT-COS2, and DTT-COS12, respectively. In vitro study showed that DTT-COS1 and DTT-COS12 had immunological activity increasing the ratio of CD8/CD4 T cells. Treatments with DTT-COS1 and DTT-COS12 dramatically generated immune protection against the B16F10 tumor challenge in both prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy. Furthermore, regarding tumor microenvironment (TME) immunomodulation, DTT-COS1 treatment increased the proportion of CD4+ effector T cells (Teff) and decreased the expression of a suppressive cytokine. Meanwhile, DTT-COS12 reduced regulatory T cells (Treg) and improved the level of stimulatory cytokines. In addition, endogenous antibodies against OX40L/4-1BBL were generated, which may help with antitumor responses. Unexpectedly, DTT-COS2 lacked antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, serum analysis of liver-function associated factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines demonstrated that treatments were safe formulations in mice without signs of systemic toxicity. Remarkably, DTT-COS1 and DTT-COS12 are functional immunomodulators for mouse B16F10 melanoma, creating practical preclinical value in cancer immunotherapy.

Chronic inflammation: key player and biomarker-set to predict and prevent cancer development and progression based on individualized patient profiles

A strong relationship exists between tumor and inflammation, which is the hot point in cancer research. Inflammation can promote the occurrence and development of cancer by promoting blood vessel growth, cancer cell proliferation, and tumor invasiveness, negatively regulating immune response, and changing the efficacy of certain anti-tumor drugs. It has been demonstrated that there are a large number of inflammatory factors and inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment, and tumor-promoting immunity and anti-tumor immunity exist simultaneously in the tumor microenvironment. The typical relationship between chronic inflammation and tumor has been presented by the relationships between Helicobacter pylori, chronic gastritis, and gastric cancer; between smoking, development of chronic pneumonia, and lung cancer; and between hepatitis virus (mainly hepatitis virus B and C), development of chronic hepatitis, and liver cancer. The prevention of chronic inflammation is a factor that can prevent cancer, so it effectively inhibits or blocks the occurrence, development, and progression of the chronic inflammation process playing important roles in the prevention of cancer. Monitoring of the causes and inflammatory factors in chronic inflammation processes is a useful way to predict cancer and assess the efficiency of cancer prevention. Chronic inflammation-based biomarkers are useful tools to predict and prevent cancer.