Eradication of Helicobacter pylori Restores Glutathione S‐Transferase Activity and Glutathione Levels in Antral Mucosa

Glutathione S‐transferases (GST) and glutathione peroxidases (GPO) are important in detoxification. GST activity in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract is inversely correlated with the development of gastrointestinal cancer. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been associated with gastric cancer. We studied GST activity and the substrate glutathione (GSH) in patients with H. pylori‐associated gastritis. GST activity and isoenzyme levels, GPO activity and GSH levels were studied in antral biopsies of 38 H./pyfori‐positive patients, before and after eradication treatment. In 31 patients in whom H. pylori was successfully eradicated, antral GST enzyme activity before therapy was 532 (465–598) nmol/mg protein‐min (mean and 95% confidence interval) and that after therapy was 759 (682–836) nmol/mg protein‐min (P