Na⁺/H⁺ Ion-Exchange Property of Postmortem Human Gastric Mucus

Abstract

The effect of Campylobacter pylori infection and sucralfate treatment on the ion-exchange property of human gastric mucus from 17 human postmortem stomachs was investigated in an in vitro chamber. Of the 10 stomachs not infected with C. pylori mucus from 4 stomachs had a ‘normal’ Na⁺/H⁺ exchange capacity, whereas 6 were without a Na⁺/H⁺ exchange capacity. The Na⁺/H⁺ exchange capacity of the seven stomachs infected with C. pylori was half that of the four ‘normal’ uninfected stomachs. Sucralfate significantly improved the Na⁺/H⁺ exchange capacity of mucus from C. pv/ori-infected stomachs and from the uninfected stomachs without Na⁺/H⁺ exchange. This study shows that impairment of the Na⁺/H⁺ exchange capacity of gastric mucus is associated with C. pylori infection and that sucralfate improves the Na⁺/H⁺ exchange capacity of gastric mucus.

Key Words:

• Campylobacter pylori
• gastric mucus
• Na⁺/H⁺ ion exchange
• sucralfate