CXC chemokine CXCL12 tissue expression and circulating levels in peptic ulcer patients with Helicobacter pylori infection

•Elevated serum levels of CXCL12 in the active stage (GA) of peptic ulcer disease.•Protein expression of CXCL12 in ulcerative tissues is significantly higher in the GA stage.•MIF and eUb may contribute to angiogenesis in the healing stage (GH).•Circulating levels of CXCL12 may be a useful marker to differentiate between GA and GH stages of peptic ulcer.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is among the most prevalent human infections. CXCL12 is a well-known CXC chemokine involved in inflammation and play major roles in angiogenesis. There is currently very limited data on the role of CXCL12 in peptic ulcer disease. Hence, we aimed to explore whether CXCL12 is involved in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer induced by H. pylori. In this study, we enrolled 102 H. pylori-infected patients, including 51 with active ulcer (GA) and 51 with healing ulcer (GH). We also recruited 50 healthy subjects as control, which did not show any sign or symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases, infection, or immune-related disorders. Endoscopy was performed to determine the stage of the disease. ELISA was used for detection of H. pylori infection and CXCL12 measurement. We also employed western blotting to detect CXCL12 in ulcerative lesions of H. pylori. Demographic data were also collected by questionnaire. Our results demonstrated that CXCL12 serum levels in GA group (151.8 ± 18.31 pg/mL) were significantly higher than those in GH (36.89 ± 6.78 pg/mL) and control groups (33.77 ± 9.12 pg/mL) (P < 0.0001). However, we did not observe a significant difference between GH and control groups. Moreover, overexpression of CXCL12 in gastric lesions of patients in GA group was confirmed by Western blot analysis. According to the result of the present study, it could be concluded that CXCL12 is involved in the pathogenesis and healing of H. pylori-induced peptic ulcer. CXCL12 serum levels may also be used to distinguish between GA and GH phases of the disease.