Contribution of Secretory Antibodies to Intestinal Mucosal Immunity against Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe natural immune response toHelicobacter pylorineither clears infection nor prevents reinfection. However, the ability of secretory antibodies to influence the course ofH. pyloriinfection has not been determined. We compared the natural progression ofH. pyloriinfection in wild-type C57BL/6 mice with that in mice lacking the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) that is essential for the secretion of polymeric antibody across mucosal surfaces.H. pyloriSS1-infected wild-type and pIgR knockout (KO) mice were sampled longitudinally for gastrointestinal bacterial load, antibody response, and histological changes. The gastric bacterial loads of wild-type and pIgR KO mice remained constant and comparable at up to 3 months postinfection (mpi) despite SS1-reactive secretory IgA in the intestinal contents of wild-type mice at that time. Conversely, abundant duodenal colonization of pIgR KO animals contrasted with the near-total eradication ofH. pylorifrom the intestine of wild-type animals by 3 mpi.H. pyloriwas cultured only from the duodenum of those animals in which colonization in the distal gastric antrum was of sufficient density for immunohistological detection. By 6 mpi, the gastric load ofH. pyloriin wild-type mice was significantly lower than in pIgR KO animals. While there was no corresponding difference between the two mouse strains in gastric pathology results at 6 mpi, reductions in gastric bacterial load correlated with increased gastric inflammation together with an intestinal secretory antibody response in wild-type mice. Together, these results suggest that naturally produced secretory antibodies can modulate the progress ofH. pyloriinfection, particularly in the duodenum.