Figure 5

Quantification of trefoil expression in endoscopic biopsies and gastric resection specimens. Two endoscopic biopsies from each patient were obtained for ITF and pS2 RIA, and a third was submitted for histology. A, Median ITF expression was significantly elevated in biopsies from patients exhibiting intestinal metaplasia (mean: 51.6, range: 31 to 109 pmol/mg of protein compared with those of the group with normal histology, mean: 13.8, range: 11 to 18 pmol/mg of protein, p = 0.006, and those with active chronic gastritis, mean: 19.9, range: 11.3 to 23.6 pmol/mg of protein, p = 0.001). Levels were in the same range as normal antrum in resection specimens demonstrating gastric cancer (mean: 11.4, range: 5.6 to 41.9 pmol/mg of protein, p = 0.751). Ordinate is logarithmic scale. B, Mean pS2 concentrations were substantially higher in the normal antrum (7290 ± 1842 pmol/mg of protein than with gastritis (2924 ± 493 pmol/mg of protein, p = 0.142) and intestinal metaplasia (1957 ± 629 pmol/mg of protein, p = 0.033), and there was a highly significant difference in pS2 expression between these groups and those with gastric cancer (134 ± 57 pmol/mg of protein, all p < 0.003). ACG, active chronic gastritis; IM, intestinal metaplasia; GC, gastric cancer.