Evidence of de novo collagen synthesis in healing human gastric ulcers.

Background: The fibrillar collagens, types I and III, have been demonstrated in healthy human gastric mucosa as well as in the submucosa of gastric ulcer edges, where they are remarkably increased.

Methods: To verify the occurrence and activity of de novo collagen synthesis, we examined gastric biopsy specimens from six patients with antral ulcers and six normal controls. By means of in situ hybridization, using a 35S-labeled RNA probe, we could localize the specific procollagen mRNA for type-I collagen.