Since the isolation and culture of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in 1983, this bacterium has become accepted as an important human pathogen for the development of gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. Cyclooxgenase-2 (COX-2) is a prostaglandin-synthesizing enzyme.
Elevated expression of COX-2 is observed in a wide variety of human malignancies, including gastric cancer. Long-term high dose COX-2 inhibitors can inhibit gastric carcinogenesis in animal models, but the possible life-threatening cardiovascular adverse events limit its popular application. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the optimal intervention point of COX-2 inhibitors for inhibiting H. pylori-associated gastric carcinogenesis.
A research article to be published on October 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Prof. Wu from the Department of Gastroenterology of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital used the Mongolian gerbil model to evaluate the optimal intervention point of COX-2 inhibitor treatment for inhibiting H. pylori-associated gastric carcinogenesis. The article also investigates the possible mechanism of chemoprevention and possible side effects of COX-2 inhibitors.