Ammonia produced by Campylobacter pylori neutralizes H+ moving through gastric mucus

Scand J Gastroenterol. 1989 Aug;24(6):761-8. doi: 10.3109/00365528909093119.

Abstract

We aimed to show that Campylobacter pylori infection increases the concentration of ammonia in the gastric mucus and alters the movement of H+ through the mucus. Mucus from uninfected and C. pylori-infected stomachs was collected at postmortem. Ammonia was measured enzymatically. The ammonia concentration in C. pylori-infected mucus was fourfold greater than in uninfected mucus. H+ movement experiments were carried out using an in vitro chamber, in which a layer of mucus separated a 0.1 M HCl solution from distilled H2O. The change in pH of the distilled H2O was measured over 30 min. A drop in pH was measured for uninfected mucus. A slight rise in pH was measured for C. pylori-infected mucus. We conclude that C. pylori infection is associated with reduced H+ movement through mucus and that this may be due to increased ammonia concentration within mucus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ammonia / metabolism*
  • Campylobacter Infections / metabolism*
  • Gastric Acid / metabolism*
  • Gastric Mucosa / metabolism*
  • Gastritis / metabolism
  • Gastritis / microbiology
  • Gastritis / pathology
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration

Substances

  • Ammonia