Expression of TFF2 and Helicobacter pylori infection in carcinogenesis of gastric mucosa

AIM: To investigate the expression of TFF2 and Helicobacter pylori infection in carcinogenesis of gastric mucosa. METHODS: The expression of TFF2 was immunohistochemically analyzed in paraffin-embedded samples from 119 patients with endoscopic biopsy and subtotal gastrectomy specimens of gastric mucosal lesions, including 16 cases of chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), 20 chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), 35 intestinal metaplasia (IM), 23 gastric epithelial dysplasia (GED) and 25 gastric carcinoma (CA), and Helicobacter pylori infection was detected by Warthin-Starry staining. RESULTS: 1: TFF2 was located in the cytoplasm of gastric mucous neck cell. The expression of TFF2 was 100 %, 100 %, 0, 56.5 % and 0 in CSGs, CAGs, IMs, GEDs and CAs, respectively. 2: The value of TFF2 positive cell density in CSG with Helicobacter pylori infection was higher than that without Helicobacter pylori infection. (52.89+/-7.27 vs 46.49+/-13.04, P>0.05); But the value of TFF2 positive cell density in CAG and GED with Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly lower than that without Helicobacter pylori infection (18.17+/-4.09 vs 37.93+/-13.80, P<0.01 and 14.44+/-9.32 vs 24.84+/-10.22, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Increase of TFF2 expression in CSG is perhaps associated with the protective mechanism after gastric mucosal injury. Decrease of TFF2 expression in CAG possibly attributes to the decrease in the number of gastric gland cell expressing TFF2. Re-expression of TFF2 in gastric epithelial dysplasia implies that TFF2 possibly contributes to the initiation of gastric carcinoma. The effect of Helicobacter pylori on the expression of TFF2 depends on the status of gastric mucosa.