Protective effect of glucosamine against ibuprofen-induced peptic ulcer in rats

Prophylactic Effect and Antiulcerogenic Potential of Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum E1K2R2 and its Exopolysaccharide Against Ibuprofen-Induced Acute Gastric Ulcer

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Lpb. plantarum), as a safe probiotic microorganism, has been documented for its production of multiple bioactive compounds, such as exopolysaccharides (EPS), which have been used in the treatment of many gastrointestinal diseases, including gastric ulcers. The present study aims to investigate the prophylactic and antiulcerogenic effects of the potential probiotic Lbp. plantarum E1K2R2 and its EPS against ibuprofen-induced gastric ulcer. A gastric ulcer model was established by feeding fasted rats with ibuprofen at a single dose (200 mg/kg body weight). The Lpb. plantarum E1K2R2 (109 CFU), its EPS (200 mg/kg bw), and the anti-ulcer reference drug (omeprazole) (20 mg/kg bw) were separately used to feed rats for seven consecutive days before ibuprofen administration. The mechanisms were meticulously examined, focusing on the anti-secretory activity and mucus production as well as the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The findings revealed that the gastro-preventive effect of Lbp. plantarum E1K2R2 (88.43%) was higher than that of the EPS (66.26%) and close to that of omeprazole (89.87%). This effect was achieved through similar mechanisms, including regulation of the secretory activity, augmentation of mucus production, mitigation of inflammation, and enhancement of the gastric mucosa's antioxidant capacity. Moreover, it was found that Lbp. plantarum E1K2R2 and its EPS induce the activities of gastric antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and S-transferase (GST); enhance glutathione (GSH) content; and reduce mucosal nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Furthermore, histopathological and hematological examinations confirmed that both pre-treatments could effectively maintain the structural integrity of the gastric mucosa and improve some hematological parameters, respectively. This implies that Lpb. plantarum E1K2R2 and its EPS possess the potential to counteract ibuprofen-associated gastric ulcers, leveraging a variety of protective mechanisms.

Sepia officinalis ink mitigates gastric ulcer via modulation of antioxidant/anti-inflammatory pathways

Background

Sepia officinalis ink is a bioactive secondary metabolite rich in melanin granules, which has a wide range of nutritional and therapeutic values and also has been used to prevent various gastrointestinal disorders. Gastric ulcer, the most common gastrointestinal disease, is characterized by severe gastric mucosa damage, and its prevention is currently one of the main goals of clinical and experimental studies. Thus, the present study was focused on evaluating the potential gastroprotective efficacy of Sepia officinalis ink extract (SOIE) against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats.

Results

The current results revealed that SOIE administration at the two selected doses improved significantly gastric mucosa integrity as indicated by the significant (P < 0.05) amelioration in gastric secretion indices (pH and volume) and the marked decrease in the ulcer index. Moreover, SOIE could counteract the gastric oxidative stress induced by ethanol via a marked decline in malondialdehyde content as well as a significant (P < 0.05) increment in glutathione content and antioxidant enzymes activities (catalase and glutathione-s-transferase). Additionally, SOIE treatment caused a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in gastric nitric oxide content. Respecting morphological and histopathological studies, SOIE treatment at 200 mg/kg body weight caused marked healing of gastric lesions as indicated by no hemorrhagic bands or injuries observed as well as significantly reduced severity score of ulcer.

Conclusions

SOIE could be used as a promising alternative antiulcerogenic compound to treat severe gastric lesions.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking, biological potentials, and Structure-Activity Relationship of new quinazoline & quinazoline-4-one derivatives

CONTEXT

Quinazolines are a common class of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic scaffolds exhibiting a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities.

OBJECTIVE

In the present study, quinazoline and quinazolin-4-one derivatives were prepared, characterized to evaluate their biological which may pave the way for possible therapeutic applications.

MATERIALS & METHODS

A new derivative of quinazoline and quinazolin-4-one derivatives was prepared and tested for antiulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity.

RESULTS

The synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis and spectral data. Also, the median lethal doses (LD_50s) of compounds 1-3 in rats were 1125, 835 and 1785 mg/kg b.w., respectively. IC₅₀ values of compounds (1-3) as measured by ABTS⁺ radical method was 0.8, 0.92 and 0.08 mg/mL, respectively. Antiulcerogenic activities at dose 1/20 LD₅₀ in albino rats were 47.94, 24.60 and 56.45%, respectively. Anti-inflammatory effect at dose 1/20 LD₅₀ of compounds (1-3) induced edema model after 120 min. The prepared compounds possess hepato gastric mucosa protective activity against ibuprofen-induced ulceration and LPS-induced liver toxicity, respectively in rats via normalization of oxidative stress biomarkers and inflammatory mediators were inhibited in peritoneal macrophage cells at concentration of 100 µg/L. Molecular docking suggested that the most active compounds 1 and 2 can be positioned within the active sites of COX-2 at Arg121 & Tyr356 similar to ibuprofen (Arg-120, Glu-524, and Tyr-355). The compound 3-COX-2 complex generated by docking revealed intricate interactions with a COX-2 channel.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that compounds 1-3 exhibited good antioxidant, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory activity and safe on liver enzymes in rats.

Brassica oleracea Prevents HCl/Ethanol-Induced Gastric Damages in Mice

Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. (cabbage) is a popular vegetable with a wide range of pharmacological activities that help to promote human health. The present study investigated the beneficial effects of B. oleracea var. capitata L. extract (BOE) on HCl/ethanol (H/E)-induced gastric damages in mice. Pre-administration of BOE (25–100 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days significantly decreased macroscopically visible lesion on the gastric mucosa induced by H/E. In addition, results from hematoxylin and eosin-stained gastric tissue showed that BOE inhibited invaded percentage of lesion and prevented the reduction in mucosal thickness in peri-ulcerative region. BOE significantly alleviated the H/E-mediated decreases in Alcian blue binding, total hexose, sialic acid, and collagen in the gastric tissue, suggesting BOE attenuates the gastric damage via preserving the integrity of gastric mucus. Moreover, BOE significantly decreased histamine level in the plasma and reduced mRNA levels associated with secreting gastric acid. Furthermore, BOE inhibited myeloperoxidase activity and suppressed nuclear factor-κB mRNA and its dependent inflammatory genes expression induced by H/E. BOE also strengthened antioxidant enzyme activity, with a mitigating H/E-mediated increase in malondialdehyde level of the gastric tissue. Thus, these results suggest that BOE has the potential to protect the gastric tissue via inhibiting gastric acid secretion, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Simultaneous determination of six short-chain fatty acids in colonic contents of colitis mice after oral administration of polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the intestinal bacteria are very critical for the intestinal barrier, mucosal cytoprotection and normal intestinal biology. However, accumulation of SCFAs promoted by the polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat remains unknown. Thus, it is necessary to investigate SCFAs in the colonic contents of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced colitis mice after oral administration of the polysaccharides from C. morifolium Ramat which is very helpful to unravel how it works. In this study, a rapid and reliable gas chromatographic method with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) for simultaneous determination of six SCFAs such as acetic acid (AA), propionic acid (PA), butyric acid (BA), isobutyric acid (IBA), valeric acid (VA) and isovaleric acid (IVA) has been developed and validated. Under the optimized chromatographic conditions and sample extraction procedure, good separation for 6 target compounds was obtained on a HP-INNOWAX column within 12min. Results revealed that polysaccharides from C. morifolium Ramat positively affected the SCFAs intestinal production. The polysaccharides group had greater SCFAs concentration in colonic content than the DSS-treated group (P<0.05), which was decreased remarkably compared to the normal group (P<0.01). With the decrease of the polysaccharides dosage, the contents of AA, PA and VA increased gradually, while the change of BA concentration was the opposite. There was no significant difference in the content of IBA at the different administration concentrations. And the content of IVA reached the highest concentration 0.953mg/g at lower dose of the polysaccharides. Additionally, oral administration of the polysaccharides prominently attenuated the body weight loss, reduced the disease activity index, rectal bleeding and stool consistency, improved colon shortening and macroscopic score of colitis. Our results indicated that the polysaccharides of C. morifolium Ramat might be used as prebiotic agents to prevent gut dysbiosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Gastroprotective effect of kefir on ulcer induced in irradiated rats

The current study was designed to investigate the protective effect of kefir milk on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in γ-irradiated rats. The results of the present study revealed that treatment with γ-irradiation and/or ethanol showed a significant increase in ulcers number, total acidity, peptic, H(+)K(+)ATPase, MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities and MDA level, which were accompanied by a significant decrease in the mucus content, the stomach GSH level, the GSH-Px activity and DNA damage. Pre-treatment with kefir milk exert significant improvement in all the tested parameters. Kefir milk exerts comparable effect to that of the antiulcer drug ranitidine. In conclusion, the present study revealed that oral administration of kefir milk prevents ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in γ-irradiated rats that could attribute to its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and radio-protective activities.

Plant-derived polysaccharide supplements inhibit dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in the rat

Several plant-derived polysaccharides have been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity in animal models. Ambrotose complex and Advanced Ambrotose are dietary supplements that include aloe vera gel, arabinogalactan, fucoidan, and rice starch, all of which have shown such activity. This study was designed to evaluate these formulations against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in rats and to confirm their short-term safety after 14 days of daily dosing. Rats were dosed daily orally with vehicle, Ambrotose or Advanced Ambrotose. On day six groups of rats received tap water or 5% Dextran Sulfate sodium. Ambrotose and Advanced Ambrotose significantly lowered the disease scores and partially prevented the shortening of colon length. An increase in monocyte count was induced by dextran sulfate sodium and inhibited by Ambrotose and Advanced Ambrotose. There were no observable adverse effects after 14-day daily doses. The mechanism of action of the formulations against DSS-induced colitis may be related to its effect on monocyte count.

Study on the production of chitin and chitosan from shrimp shell by using Bacillus subtilis fermentation

Fermentation of shrimp shell in jaggery broth using Bacillus subtilis for the production of chitin and chitosan was investigated. It was found that B. subtilis produced sufficient quantities of acid to remove the minerals from the shell and to prevent spoilage organisms. The protease enzyme in Bacillus species was responsible for the deprotenisation of the shell. The pH, proteolytic activity, extent of demineralization and deprotenisation were studied during fermentation. About 84% of the protein and 72% of the minerals were removed from the shrimp shell after fermentation. Mild acid and alkali treatments were given to produce characteristic chitin and their concentrations were standardized. Chitin was converted to chitosan by N-deacetylation and the properties of chitin and chitosan were studied. FTIR spectral analysis of chitin and chitosan prepared by the process was carried out and compared with spectra of commercially available samples.