Somatostatin (SST) inhibits cellular processes related to secretion, motor activity and cell proliferation. It operates through SSTR1-5 receptors. Density of the SSTR3 receptor is decreased in gastric adenocarcinoma.
Aim: Determination of the SSTR3 mRNA level in gastric mucosa of patients with dyspepsia, in respect to stomach topography, H. pylori infection, patient gender and the type of histopathological changes was aimed in these studies.
Materials and methods: A real time RT-PCR method was used to determine the SSTR3 mRNA level in samples collected from the stomach antrum and corpus of 27 patients with dyspepsia (18-59 years old) without family history of cancer.
Results: Among Hp(-) patients, the level of the SSTR3 mRNA in samples taken from the antrum was by ca. 65% higher (p < 0.05) than from the stomach corpus. Infection with H. pylori significantly decreased the SSTR3 level in antrum (ca. 50%, p < 0.05), especially in females. Among the Hp(+) patients, the development of histopathological changes in that part of stomach was accompanied by decrease of the expression of SSTR3 receptor (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: H. pylori infection related reduction of the SSTR3 density in the antrum mucosa speaks for the need of eradication of these bacteria in the prevention of distal gastric cancer.