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2019 Dec 15
Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
The protective effect of Helicobacter Pylori infection on the susceptibility of multiple sclerosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31610314

Abstract
In recent years, a possible protective role of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) against autoimmune disease has been reported in an experimental murine model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and there are restricted conflicting epidemiologic data concerning Hp serology in MS patients. This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Hp in MS patients and then investigates pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in MS patients infected with HP and seronegative MS patients. Three hundred eighty-seven patients with MS were included in the study and were adjusted by gender and age to 420 healthy subjects. An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was used to determine the presence of specific IgG antibodies against H. pylori in the serum sample of both groups. Some pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines levels were evaluated in seropositive/seronegative MS patients and healthy individuals. Our result showed that in patients with MS HP seropositivity was significantly lower than the healthy individual (P < .0001). Also, we showed that HP seropositive MS patients had lower Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) when compared with seronegative MS patients (P < .011). Moreover, we illustrated that proinflammatory cytokine levels include IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17 in MS patients infected with HP were lower than seronegative MS patients. Besides, the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines include IL-4 and IL-10 was significantly higher in MS patients infected with HP when compared with MS patients seronegative for HP infection. In this study, we indicated that HP infection negatively correlated with MS, and conceivably may act as a protective agent against MS. The precise mechanism behind this protective effect remains elusive. However, it seems HP can modulate cytokine signaling, which involved in MS pathogenesis.

2020 Jul 26
Department of Medicine, Second Medical Clinic, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki 54642, Macedonia, Greece
Helicobacter pylori infection as a potential risk factor for multiple sclerosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32795839/

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp-I) has been associated with a wide spectrum of gastrointestinal and extra-digestive manifestations, including neurodegenerative diseases. Contradictory data have been published on Hp-I and multiple sclerosis (MS) association, with studies mainly using serology for Hp-I detection that cannot distinguish between active and past infections. We herein hypothesize that humoral and cellular immune responses induced by active Hp-I, beyond damaging locally the gastric mucosa, they may shape the character of systemic autoimmune responses, contributing to MS pathogenesis. To investigate our hypothesis, active Hp-I has been diagnosed in two small MS Greek cohorts by using primarily gastric mucosa histology. A higher prevalence of active Hp-I was documented in MS patients vs. controls (86.4 vs. 50%, P = 0.002)accompanied by exclusive existence of duodenal ulcer and autoimmune diseases with endoscopic and histological findings of chronic active gastritis for the MS group. Our preliminary data suggested that active Hp-Iunlike other studies, may not protect, but contribute to MS and we proposed possibleHp-relating mechanisms involved in MS pathophysiology, that merit further evaluation.