Eradication of Helicobacter pylori significantly reduced gastric damage in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-treated Mongolian gerbils

AIM: To examine the effect of eradication of Helicobacter pylori prior to usage of NSAIDs, by investigating gastric inflammatory activity, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, prostaglandin (PG) E(2) synthesis in H pylori-infected, and H pylori-eradicated gerbils followed by administration of indomethacin and rofecoxib. METHODS: Six-week-old male gerbils were orally inoculated with H pylori. Seven weeks later, anti-H pylori triple therapy and vehicle were given to gerbils respectively and followed by oral indomethacin (2 mg/kg.d) or rofecoxib (10 mg/kg.d) for 2 wk. We examined the area of lesions, gastric inflammatory activity, PGE(2) synthesis and MPO activity in the stomach. RESULTS: In indomethacin and rofecoxib-treated gerbils, the following results were obtained in H pylori-infected group vs H pylori-eradicated group respectively: hyperplasia area of the stomach (mm(2)): 82.4 +/- 9.2 vs 13.9 +/- 3.5 (P<0.05), 30.5 +/- 5.1 vs 1.3 +/- 0.6 (P<0.05); erosion and ulcer area (mm(2)): 14.4 +/- 4.9 vs 0.86 +/- 0.5 (P<0.05), 1.3 +/- 0.6 vs 0.4 +/- 0.3 (P<0.05); score of gastritis: 7.0 +/- 0.0 vs 3.6 +/- 0.5 (P<0.05), 7.0 +/- 0.0 vs 2.7 +/- 0.5 (P<0.05); MPO activity (mu mol H(2)O(2)/min/g tissue): 104.7 +/- 9.2 vs 9.0 +/- 2.3 (P<0.05), 133.5 +/- 15.0 vs 2.9 +/- 0.7 (P<0.05); PGE(2) synthesis (pg/mg wet weight/min): 299.2 +/- 81.5 vs 102.8 +/- 26.2 (P<0.05), 321.4 +/- 30.3 vs 11.9 +/- 4.8 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Eradication of H pylori reduced gastric damage of NSAID-treated Mongolian gerbils. Rofecoxib caused less severe gastric damage than indomethacin in H pylori-eradicated gerbils. (C) 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.