Portal hypertension aggravates Helicobacter pylori induced liver injury in mice via activating pyroptosis pathway

In recent years, it has been discovered that the pathogenic effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is not only limited to the gastroduodenal region, but also plays a certain role in the occurrence and development of liver diseases. The aim of this study is to ascertain the existence of Helicobacter pylori translocation, investigate whether it leads to liver injury and its potential mechanism and examine whether portal hypertension exacerbates liver damage caused by H. pylori translocation. Twenty four male SPF C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups (6 in each group): (1) control group (Normal); (2) portal hypertension group (PHT); (3) H. pylori infected group (Hp); (4) H. pylori and Portal hypertension group (Hp and PHT). The histopathological changes of the liver and gastric tissues were measured by HE staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC); ALT, AST, IL-6 and INF-γ was measured by ELISA; Western blot detected the expression of pyroptotic proteins in the liver. The pro-inflammatory mediators and liver function indexes of mice in Hp group, Hp and PHT group were higher than those in the normal and PHT group. In addition, the liver inflammatory cell infiltration and ballooning of the two groups of mice were more severe than those in the normal group and PHT group, Hp and PHT group were more severe; Hp group, Hp and PHT group mice liver tissues activated the pyroptotic process through NLRP3 inflammasome, which eventually led to cell damage. Post mice infection by H. pylori, H. pylori will translocate to the liver, and induce liver injury by aggravating inflammation and promoting pyroptosis. Moreover, when portal hypertension occurs, it promotes the displacement of H. pylori, thereby aggravating liver injury.