Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology
Pancreatobiliary - Original Article

Association between small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and toll-like receptor 4 in patients with pancreatic carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma

1.

Department of Gastroenterology, Qingdao University School of Medicine, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Shandong, China

2.

Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital to Qingdao University, Shandong, China

Turk J Gastroenterol 2019; 30: 177-183
DOI: 10.5152/tjg.2018.17512
Read: 2526 Downloads: 814 Published: 25 July 2019

Abstract

Background/Aims: Multiple factors have been linked to pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. Until now, few studies have investigated the role of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) signaling in these diseases. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the prevalence of SIBO and the TLR-4 expression in patients with pancreatic carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.

 

Materials and Methods: A total of 90 human subjects suffering from pancreatic carcinoma (n=30), cholangiocarcinoma (n=30), and healthy controls (n=30) were enrolled in the study. A glucose hydrogen breath test (GHBT) was used to evaluate SIBO. The TLR4 protein expression was measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC).

 

Results: The positive rate of SIBO was 63.3% in the pancreatic cancer group and 46.7% in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, which was significantly greater than 13.3% in the healthy control group (p<0.05). An IHC analysis revealed that the TLR-4 protein expression in the SIBO-positive pancreatic carcinoma patients was significantly higher than that in the SIBO-negative patients (p<0.05), and the same result was in the cholangiocarcinoma subjects. In addition, a correlation analysis identified the positive relationship between the prevalence of SIBO and the TLR-4 protein expression in pancreatic carcinoma (r=0.489), and the same result was in the cholangiocarcinoma subjects.

 

Conclusion: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of SIBO in pancreatic carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, and SIBO displays a positive correlation with the TLR-4 expression, suggesting that SIBO could be a risk factor for the pathogenesis of pancreatic carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, in which the TLR4 signaling may be involved.

 

Cite this article as: Ma X, Wang H, Zhang P, Xu L, Tian Z. Association between small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and toll-like receptor 4 in patients with pancreatic carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Turk J Gastroenterol 2019; 30(2): 177-83.

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