Cell Proliferation Kinetics in the Marginal Mucosa of Gastric Ulcer Evaluated by Immunostaining of DNA Polymerase α

Abstract

We studied the proliferative ability of the marginal mucosal cells surrounding the ulcer in the healing processes of gastric ulcers. We obtained a labeling index (LI) at the neck and generative zone of gastric pit using a monoclonal antibody against DNA polymerase α for tractable and intractable gastric ulcers located at the fundic mucosa during each endoscopic stage. The LI during the healing stage was higher than that during the active stage in both the tractable and intractable cases. However, in each stage, the LI of the tractable gastric ulcers was higher than that of their intractable counterparts. Finally, we analyzed the LI in tractable gastric ulcers after setting two groups: one treated with anti-ulcer drugs and the other untreated. There were no significant differences between these two groups. We believe that investigation of proliferative abilities in the marginal mucosa of gastric ulcers is important to understand the nature of gastric ulcers and to assess therapeutic efficacy.

Flow cytometric analysis of cell proliferation kinetics during duodenal ulcer healing

“…Gastric mucosal cell replication has been reported to play an important role in reepithelialization of gastric ulcers in animals3 and humans. 4, 5 Bransom et al investigated the mucosal cell proliferation in patients with duodenal ulcers at the margin of ulcers using autoradiographic methods with [3H]-th~midine.~,~ They reported an increase in mucosal cell proliferation at the duodenal ulcer margin and duodenitis. However, the role of epithelial cell proliferation in duodenal ulcer healing has been unclear.…”