Helminth Co-infection in Helicobacter Pylori Infected Ins- Gas Mice Attenuates Gastric Premalignant Lesions of Epithelial Dysplasia and Glandular Atrophy and Preserves Accessed Terms of Use Helminth Co-infection in Helicobacter Pylori Infected Ins-gas Mice Attenuates Gastric Premalignant Lesions of

The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Abstract Higher prevalence of helminth infections in H. pylori infected children was suggested to potentially lower the lifetime risk for gastric adenocarcinoma. In rodent models, helminth co-infection does not reduce Helicobacter-induced inflammation but delays progression of pre-malignant gastric lesions. Because gastric cancer in INS-GAS mice is promoted by intestinal microflora, the impact of Heligmosomoides polygyrus co-infection on H. pylori-associated gastric lesions and microflora were evaluated. Male INS-GAS mice co-infected with H. pylori and H. polygyrus for 5 months were assessed for gastrointestinal lesions, inflammation-related mRNA expression, FoxP3 + cells, epithelial proliferation, and gastric colonization with H. pylori and Altered Schaedler Flora. Despite similar gastric inflammation and high levels of proinflammatory mRNA, helminth co-infection increased FoxP3 + cells in the corpus and reduced H. pylori-associated gastric atrophy (p<0.04), dysplasia (p<0.02) and prevented H. pylori-induced changes in the gastric flora (p<0.05). This is the first evidence of helminth infection reducing H. pylori-induced gastric lesions while inhibiting changes in gastric flora, consistent with prior observations that gastric colonization with enteric microbiota accelerated gastric lesions in INS-GAS mice. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Identifying how helminths reduce gastric premalignant lesions and impact bacterial colonization of the H. pylori infected stomach could lead to new treatment strategies to inhibit progression from chronic gastritis to cancer in humans.