IJCEM Copyright © 2008-All rights reserved. Published by e-Century Publishing Corporation, Madison, WI 53711
Int J Clin Exp Med 2(3):248-253,2009.

Original Article
Increased lysozyme expression in gastric biopsies with intestinal metaplasia and
pseudopyloric metaplasia

Carlos A Rubio, Ragnar Befrits

Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Department of Gastroenterology, Karolinska
Institute and University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden

Received May 27, 2009; accepted August 25, 2009; available online August 30, 2009

Abstract: Lysozyme is an innate enzyme with potent non-immunological antibacterial properties in the upper intestinal tract. Lysozyme
expression (ly-ex) was investigated in 80 consecutive sets of gastric biopsies having normal gastric mucosa (n=20), chronic gastritis
(n=20), gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM, n=20), and pseudopyloric metaplasia (PpM, n=20). In biopsies with normal mucosa and with
chronic gastritis, the foveolar epithelium and the mucus neck cells of the fundic mucosa as well as the antropyloric glands had
moderate (++) to marked (+++) ly-ex whereas the fundic glands proper did not express lysozyme. In IM the goblet and the Paneth cells
showed marked (+++) ly-ex. PpM, developing in patients with autoimmune (corpus) gastritis, had moderate ly-ex (++), thus contrasting
with the negative ly-ex in the normal or inflamed fundic mucosa.The Helicobacter pylori did not proliferate in areas with IM or with PpM.
The lysozyme production in IM and in PpM might be upregulated to eradicate ingested, proliferating bacteria in acid-deficient stomachs.
(IJCEM908003).

Key Words: Lysozyme, gastric intestinal metaplasia, pseudopyloric metaplasia, chronic gastritis

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Address all correspondence to:
Carlos A. Rubio, MD, PhD
Gastrointestinal and Liver
Pathology Research Laboratory, Department
of Pathology, Karolinska Institute and University
Hospital, 17176, Stockholm, Sweden.
Fax: +46 8 51774524; Email:
Carlos.Rubio@ki.se