Gastric Cancer
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 21, 2005; 11(11): 1571-1576
Published online Mar 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i11.1571
Effects of folic acid on epithelial apoptosis and expression of Bcl-2 and p53 in premalignant gastric lesions
Da-Zhong Cao, Wei-Hao Sun, Xi-Long Ou, Qian Yu, Ting Yu, You-Zhen Zhang, Zi-Ying Wu, Qi-Ping Xue, Yun-Lin Cheng
Da-Zhong Cao, Xi-Long Ou, Qian Yu, Ting Yu, You-Zhen Zhang, Zi-Ying Wu, Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
Wei-Hao Sun, Qi-Ping Xue, Yun-Lin Cheng, Department of Geriatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the Science and Technology Foundation of the State Railway Ministry, No. J98Z034
Correspondence to: Wei-Hao Sun, M.D., Ph.D, Department of Geriatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. weihaosun@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-25-51795618 Fax: +86-25-83783506
Received: September 3, 2004
Revised: September 5, 2004
Accepted: October 18, 2004
Published online: March 21, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the effects of folic acid on epithelial apoptosis and expression of Bcl-2 and p53 in the tissues of premalignant gastric lesions.

METHODS: Thirty-eight patients, with premalignant gastric lesions including 18 colonic-type intestinal metaplasia (IM) and 20 mild or moderate dysplasia, were randomly divided into a treatment group (n = 19) receiving folic acid 10 mg thrice daily and a control group (n = 19) receiving sucralfate 1000 mg thrice daily for 3 mo. All patients underwent endoscopies and four biopsies were taken prior to treatment and repeated after concluding therapy. Folate concentrations in gastric mucosa were measured with chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay. Epithelial apoptosis and the expression of Bcl-2 and p53 protein in gastric mucosa were detected with flow cytometric assay.

RESULTS: The mean of folate concentration in gastric mucosa was 9.03±3.37 μg/g wet wt in the folic acid treatment group, which was significantly higher than 6.83±3.02 μg/g wet wt in the control group. Both the epithelial apoptosis rate and the tumor suppressor p53 expression in gastric mucosa significantly increased after folic acid treatment. In contrast, the expression of Bcl-2 oncogene protein decreased after folic acid therapy.

CONCLUSION: These data indicate that folic acid may play an important role in the chemoprevention of gastric carcinogenesis by enhancing gastric epithelial apoptosis in the patients with premalignant lesions.

Keywords: Folic acid; Bcl-2; p53; Premalignant gastric lesions