[The role of Helicobacter pylori infection and effect of eradication in experimental animal models of gastric carcinogenesis].

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) was concluded to be 'a definite carcinogen' by WHO/IARC in 1994. We have demonstrated that Hp infection enhances chemical carcinogen-induced stomach carcinogenesis in Mongolian gerbils (MGs) using N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Not only well-differentiated but also poorly differentiated and signet ring cell types of cancers are observed, mimicking the human case. Eradication of Hp was found to be effective of preventing enhancing effects. Hp infection alone, without chemical carcinogens, caused submucosal proliferating lesions, but not gastric carcinomas, in contrast to reports that Hp infection alone may act on a complete carcinogen. Precise pathological assessment is required to solve this controversy. Here we demonstrate alleviation of Hp induced gastric lesions with eradication in MGs.