BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with marked infiltration inflammatory cells such as neutrophil, macrophage and H. pylori-specific T and B cell in the gastric mucosa. The molecular pathways that control H. pylori-associated inflammatory reaction are complex, but locally induced cytokines seem to contribute to maintaining the ongoing inflammation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate IL-6 gene expression in the H. pylori-infected and uninfected gastric patients and correlation it’s with cagA among H. pylori infected patients. METHODS: This study is case - control. Biopsies were collected from 58 H. pylori-infected patients and 44 uninfected. Mucosal IL-6 mRNA levels were measured by real-time PCR. Presence of cagA virulence factor was evaluated using PCR. Cytokine expression is presented as means and differences between infected and non-infected groups were analysed using the T-Test test. FINDINGS: The IL-6 mRNA expression levels were significantly more elevated in H. pylori-positive patients than uninfected. There was no association between cagA virulence factor in H. pylori-infected patients and IL-6 mRNA expression. Conclusion: The enhanced induction of IL-6 may be independent cagA virulence factor involved in the pathogenesis of H. pylori-associated gastritis
