Lower circulating levels of chemokine CXCL10 in Helicobacter pylori-infected patients with peptic ulcer: Influence of the bacterial virulence factor CagA

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Alterations in CXCL10 (a Th1 chemokine) expression have been associated with various diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum CXCL10 levels in H. pylori-infected patients with peptic ulcer (PU), H. pylori-infected asymptomatic (AS) subjects and healthy H. pylori-negative subjects, and also to determine its association with bacterial virulence factor cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA). MATERIALS AND METHODS Serum samples from 90 H. pylori infected patients with PU (70 were anti-CagA(+), 20 were anti-CagA(-)), 65 AS carriers (40 were anti-CagA(+), 25 were anti-CagA(-)) and 30 healthy H. pylori-negative subjects (as a control group) were tested for concentrations of CXCL10 by using the ELISA method. RESULTS The mean serum levels of CXCL10 in PU patients (96.64 ± 20.85 pg/mL) were significantly lower than those observed in AS subjects (162.16 ± 53.31 pg/mL, P < 0.01) and the control group (193.93 ± 42.14 pg/mL, P < 0.02). In the PU group, the serum levels of CXCL10 in anti-CagA(+) subjects was significantly higher in comparison to anti-CagA(-) patients (P < 0.04). CONCLUSION These results showed that the mean concentrations of CXCL10 in H. pylori-infected-PU patients was lower than AS carriers and control group. In the PU group, the serum levels of CXCL10 were associated with bacterial factor CagA.