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Mapping Analysis of Ghrelin Producing Cells in the Human Stomach Associated with Chronic Gastritis and Early Cancers

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Abstract

Objective

The majority of ghrelin producing cells (GPC) are present in the fundic gland of the stomach and recognized as X/A like cells. The detailed distribution of GPC in the stomach is still unknown in healthy and pathological subjects.

Methods

We investigated the detailed distribution of GPC in the stomach, especially in relation with chronic gastritis, using surgical specimens from 12 patients with early gastric cancer. Either the anterior or posterior half of the whole stomach, which was a counterpart of the tumor bearing side, was subjected for immunohistochemistry of ghrelin, and the number of total GPC were semi quantitatively evaluated as GPC score. GPC score was compared with the degree of chronic gastritis, serum ghrelin concentration and body weight.

Results

GPC was not observed in the pyloric gland, but heterogeneously distributed in the fundic gland mainly in upper body and the greater curvature. The GPC score showed about nine-fold difference, which correlated well with the degree of chronic gastritis by Sydney score (r = −0.84, P < 0.001). The serum ghrelin concentration was basically determined by the GPC score (r = 0.75, P = 0.0047); however, the obese patients showed low serum ghrelin concentration in spite of the presence of abundant GPCs. In the low GPC score patients, serum ghrelin was constantly low regardless of their body weight.

Conclusions

GPC was inversely correlated with progression of chronic gastritis. Its quantification using immunohistochemistry of the whole stomach was useful to comprehensively evaluate ghrelin profile.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tomoyuki Sugimoto Ph.D. from the Department of Biomedical Statistics, Osaka University for advice on statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2-E2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Shuji Takiguchi, Shinichi Adachi, Kazuyoshi Yamamoto, Hiroshi Miyata, Kiyokazu Nakajima, Makoto Yamasaki, Masaki Mori & Yuichiro Doki

  2. Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

    Eiichi Morii

  3. Department of Biochemistry, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Osaka, Japan

    Kenji Kangawa

Authors
  1. Shuji Takiguchi
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  2. Shinichi Adachi
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  3. Kazuyoshi Yamamoto
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  4. Eiichi Morii
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  5. Hiroshi Miyata
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  6. Kiyokazu Nakajima
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  7. Makoto Yamasaki
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  8. Kenji Kangawa
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  9. Masaki Mori
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  10. Yuichiro Doki
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Correspondence to Yuichiro Doki.

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Takiguchi, S., Adachi, S., Yamamoto, K. et al. Mapping Analysis of Ghrelin Producing Cells in the Human Stomach Associated with Chronic Gastritis and Early Cancers. Dig Dis Sci 57, 1238–1246 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-011-1986-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-011-1986-2

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