Enzyme Activities in Human Gastric Mucosa in Gastritis and Resected Stomachs

Biopsy specimens from the antral and body part of the stomach were studied for a range of marker enzymes in 11 patients with superficial gastritis, 9 patients with atrophic gastritis, and 31 Billroth-II-resected patients and compared with activities found in controls with normal gastric mucosa. In the antral part of the stomach increased gamma-glutamyltransferase activity was found in superficial (p less than 0.01) and atrophic gastritis (p less than 0.05), whereas monoamine oxidase activity was decreased in superficial (p less than 0.01) and atrophic gastritis (p less than 0.05). In the body part, increased activity of gamma-glutamyltransferase (p less than 0.01) and acid-beta-glucuronidase (p less than 0.01) was found in superficial gastritis. In atrophic gastritis increased activities for lactase (p less than 0.01), alkaline phosphatase (p less than 0.05), leucyl-beta-naphthylamidase (p less than 0.05), gamma-glutamyltransferase (p less than 0.05), 5'-nucleotidase (p less than 0.01), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (p less than 0.05), and acid-beta-glucuronidase (p less than 0.01) were found. Specimens from the gastric remnant showed an enzyme activity pattern similar to that seen in the body in atrophic gastritis, apart from a significantly decreased monoamine oxidase activity (p less than 0.004). Specimens with dysplasia in the gastric remnant showed decreased monoamine oxidase activity when compared with specimens without dysplasia (p less than 0.01).