FIG. 11.

Infection of the NCI-N87 cell line with H. pylori increases gastric epithelial cell migration. NCI-N87 cells were grown to confluence in six-well plates and were serum starved 24 h prior to the experiment. Cells were infected with H. pylori (200 μl/ml corrected to OD₆₀₀) and incubated at 37°C for 5 h. A 10-μl pipette tip was used to create a wound across the center of the well. After a washing to remove cell debris, bacteria were reapplied (at the concentration above). The rate of wound closure was measured at 12-h intervals over a 48-h period. The rate of migration is expressed as millimeters per 12-h period. All migration experiments were performed in the presence of 5% serum. (A) Both control, uninfected cells (Cnt) and H. pylori-infected cells (+H.p) migrated as an integrated sheet. (B) Over a 24-h period cell migration was significantly faster in the presence of H. pylori. The data report the means ± standard errors for eight wound healing experiments (*, P < 0.05).