Journal of Inflammation Research (Nov 2022)
Histopathological Features of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Gastric Mucosa
Abstract
Yang-Kun Wang,1,* Chun Li,2,* Yong-Mei Zhou,1 Lei Zeng,1 Ying-Ying Li,3 Si-Lin Huang,4 Chao-Ya Zhu,5 Yue Wang,6 Su-Nan Wang,3 Xiao-Dong Chen1 1Department of Pathology, Foresea Life Insurance Guangzhou General Hospital, Guangzhou, 511300, People’s Republic of China; 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, People’s Republic of China; 3Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen, 518055, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Gastroenterology, South China Hospital Affiliated to Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518111, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Pathology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, People’s Republic of China; 6Shenzhen Hezheng Hospital, Shenzhen, 518053, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Su-Nan Wang; Xiao-Dong Chen, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: To investigate the histopathological characteristics of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in the gastric mucosa in the process from occurrence to intraepithelial neoplasia.Methods: Specimens obtained from the endoscopic biopsy and endoscopic submucosal dissection of 2457 cases of gastric Hp infection were observed and assessed in detail using histology and immunohistochemistry techniques. The condition was divided according to the histopathological characteristics of gastric mucosal damage caused by Hp infection. The histopathological characteristics and immunophenotype of each stage were subsequently elucidated.Results: Helicobacter pylori is initially implanted in the mucus layer covered by the epithelium on the surface of the gastric mucosa. It then selectively adheres to the cytoplasm of the surface mucus cells, which makes the oval and spherical particles containing mucus that is wrapped by the bounded membrane in the cytoplasm on the nucleus of the surface mucus cells disappear, while the cytoplasm undergoes spiderweb-like vacuolar degeneration. This leads to the proliferation and transformation of the surface mucous cells before developing into intraepithelial neoplasia. In the process of histomorphology, mucosal ulcers, mucosal lymphoid tissue proliferation, gland atrophy, intestinal epithelial metaplasia, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and adenocarcinoma may occur. In this study, the condition was divided into five stages according to the histopathological characteristics of gastric mucosal damage caused by Hp infection, as well as the degree of gastric mucosal damage and involvement depth as follows: the mucus infection stage, the surface epithelial cell infection stage, the lamina propria lesion stage, the mucosal atrophy stage, and the intraepithelial neoplasia stage.Conclusion: Understanding the histopathological characteristics of gastric Hp infection in terms of its occurrence and development into intraepithelial neoplasia is conducive to the precise treatment and tracking of malignant cell transformation, and is of great significance in controlling the occurrence and development of gastric cancer.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori in the stomach, cell morphology, intraepithelial neoplasia, histopathological staging, immunohistochemistry
