Background: Helicobacter pylori infection, which affects over 50% of the global population, is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. H. pylori infection causes chronic active gastritis and is associated with peptic ulcer, lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue and gastric cancer. The colonization of H. pylori in the hostile gastric environment is determined by the complex interactions among bacterial, environmental and host factors. Because of the emergence of antibiotic resistance and adverse drug reactions such as diarrhea, the successful rates with standard triple therapy for H. pylori eradication are falling. Vitamin D or its analogues was found to induce autophagy in keratinocytes, macrophages, and various cancer cell types. Our preliminary findings indicated that 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 could induce cathelicidin expression and autophagy in cultured human gastric epithelial HFE-145 cells and reduced the intracellular survival of H. pylori in a co-culture system. It was also found that cathelicidin alone reduced the survival of drug-resistant strain of H. pylori. 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 also significantly reduced H. pylori colonization in mice, perhaps through the induction of cathelicidin in the stomach. These findings suggest that vitamin D not only could control H. pylori but also its drug-resistant strains in humans. Emerging evidence suggest that vitamin D might be a cost-effective prophylactic and possibly therapeutic antimicrobial agent for the control and eradication of H. pylori. Since vitamin D acts through mechanisms independent of standard antibiotics, it is expected that vitamin D will be equally efficacious for controlling and eradicating drug-resistant strains of H. pylori. The investigators herein propose that vitamin D in combination of standard antimicrobial therapeutics could improve the eradication rates of drug-resistant H. pylori.
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The eradication status of H. pylori infection
Timeframe: Week 4