DOI: 10.4103/bbrj.bbrj_61_26 ISSN: 2588-9834
Evaluation of Interleukin-8 and MicroRNA-155 Expression in Patients with Helicobacter pylori-Associated Gastritis
Mohammed Ejresh, Alya Amer Rahi, Najah Hamza
Background:
Gastritis is among the most common gastrointestinal disorders worldwide and is associated with serious complications such as gastritis disease and gastric cancer. This study investigated the role of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and microRNA-155 (miRNA-155) expression in patients with
Helicobacter pylori
-associated gastritis and examined their relationship with disease progression.
Methods:
A case–control study was conducted on 150 participants, including 100 patients diagnosed with gastritis and 50 healthy controls. Samples were collected from patients presenting with gastritis symptoms at Al-Marjan Gastroenterology Hospital between January and April 2026.
H. pylori
infection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the glmM gene. Serum IL-8 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas miRNA-155 expression was assessed by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) combined with bioinformatics analysis.
Results:
The study involved 150 participants, including 100 gastritis patients and 50 healthy controls. Age and gender showed no significant differences between groups, whereas urban residence was significantly associated with gastritis. Patients with gastritis demonstrated significantly higher IL-8 levels compared with controls (17.78 vs. 9.05 pg/mL,
P
< 0.001), reflecting enhanced inflammatory activity. Histopathological findings revealed greater involvement of the corpus, cardia, and other gastric regions among patients, whereas controls showed predominance in the antrum (
P
= 0.04). Urban residents exhibited a higher prevalence of gastritis, suggesting possible environmental and lifestyle contributions. In addition, miRNA-155 expression was markedly reduced in patients (0.47 ± 0.22) compared with controls (1.07 ± 0.43) (
P
< 0.0001). Strong positive correlations were found between
H. pylori
bacterial load, IL-8 levels, and miRNA-155 expression, suggesting enhanced inflammatory and immune responses.
H. pylori
copy number was identified as the main predictor of gastritis severity. Both IL-8 and miRNA-155 demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance, with IL-8 showing slightly superior accuracy. Power analysis confirmed an adequate sample size and strong statistical reliability.
Conclusions:
H. pylori
-associated gastritis is linked to increased inflammatory responses, altered gastric tissue distribution, and significant downregulation of miRNA-155. These findings indicate that miRNA-155 may serve as a promising biomarker and contribute to the pathogenesis of gastritis.