Influence of the ABO blood group and salivary ABH secretor status on the cell-removing effect of aspirin on human gastric mucosa.

EDITORIAL COMMENT The association of duodenal ulcer with blood group 0 and salivary ABH non-secretion, and the apparent increased likelihood of bleeding in patients of blood group 0 with duodenal ulcer, are not understood. A new approach to the problem is provided by this carefully executed investigation which demonstrates an interaction between blood group and secretor status, and cell loss from gastric mucosa washed with an aspirin solution. It has been realized since the work of Patzelt (1882) and Bizzozero (1892) that the zones of mitotic activity in the gastric mucosa and in the crypts of Lieberkuhn of the small bowel were zones of re-generation from which the newly-formed cells could move up or down to replace those which are worn out or damaged. Various techniques have given estimates of one to six days as the time required to produce a new covering of cells for the gastric utilized the injection of tritiated thymidine followed by peroral biopsy of gastric mucosa. Labelled cells took 48 to 96 hours to reach the surface of the gastric pits from their site of origin. Using the technique of mitotic counts in operation specimens, Teir and Rasanen (1961) showed that the non-pathological mucosa in patients with gastric ulcer and gastric carcinoma has a more rapid turnover of cells than in those with duodenal ulcer. Associations are known between ABO blood groups and gastrointestinal disorders, and also the genetically determined character of salivary ABH non-secretion is associated with duodenal ulcer (Roberts, 1957). It would therefore be of interest to know what effect, if any, do the ABO blood group and salivary ABH secretor characters have on the cell kinetics of the gastrointestinal tract. A useful technique to investigate this problem has been developed by Croft (1963) which allows a quantitative assessment to be made of the numbers of cells shed from the human gastric mucosa. This method circumvents the difficulties of cell counting by making a homogenate oftheshedcellsandestimat-ing the DNA (desoxyribonucleic acid). All cells contain the same amount of DNA and hence estimating this substance gives an expression for the numbers of cells. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) can be shown to remove cells at an enhanced rate from the gastric mucosa (Croft, 1963). It seemed to be of interest to determine whether ABO blood group and secretor status influenced the cell-removing effect of aspirin on the gastric mucosa. MATERIALS VOLUNTEER SUBJECTS The procedure was not practicable …