Background/aims: Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a counter-inflammatory peptide implicated in the downregulation of human intestinal immune responses. Enhanced secretion of IL-10 has been documented in gastric biopsy organ culture in Helicobacter pylori infection. This study aimed to define the cellular origins of IL-10 in H pylori associated gastritis, and to determine the effects of endogenous IL-10 on proinflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro.

Methods: Endoscopic biopsies were obtained from the gastric antrum at endoscopy from patients with dyspepsia. Two pairs of antral biopsies were cultured in vitro for 24 hours, one pair in the presence of neutralising anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody, the other pair as controls. The cytokine content of culture supernatants (tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6, and IL-8) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and corrected for biopsy weight. Helicobacter pylori status was established by histology and biopsy urease test, and histopathology graded by the Sydney system. In a subgroup of patients, western blotting was used to establish CagA serological status. Immunohistochemistry for IL-10 was performed on formalin fixed tissues using a combination of microwave antigen retrieval and the indirect avidin-biotin technique. Immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively.

Results: In vitro culture was performed in 41 patients: 31 with H pylori positive chronic gastritis and 10 H pylori negative. In vitro secretion of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 for "control" biopsies was significantly higher in H pylori positive versus negative samples, with values of TNF-alpha and IL-6 correlating with the degree of active and chronic inflammation and being higher in CagA seropositive cases. No evidence for enhanced cytokine secretion was seen in biopsies cocultured in the presence of anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody. Immunohistochemistry was performed in 29 patients, of whom 13 were H pylori positive. IL-10 immunoreactivity was observed in the surface epithelium in all H pylori positive cases and in 13 of 16 negative cases, especially in areas of surface epithelial degeneration. Lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMNCs) were positively stained in all H pylori positive cases and in 12 of 16 negative cases, with a significantly greater proportion of positive LPMNCs in the positive group.

Conclusions: This study localised IL-10 protein to the gastric epithelium and LPMNCs. In vitro proinflammatory cytokine secretion was increased in H pylori infection (especially CagA positive infection), but blocking endogenous IL-10 secretion did not significantly increase cytokine secretion. IL-10 is implicated in H pylori infection and might "damp down" local inflammation. The role of gastric IL-10 secretion in determining the clinicopathological outcome of infection merits further study.