Omega-3 Self-Nanoemulsion Role in Gastroprotection against Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Injury in Rats

Ferulic acid nanoemulsion as a promising anti-ulcer tool: in vitro and in vivo assessment

OBJECTIVE

Ferulic acid (FA) is a promising nutraceutical molecule which exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but it suffers from poor solubility and bioavailability. In the presented study, FA nanoemulsions were prepared to potentiate the therapeutic efficacy of FA in prevention of gastric ulcer.

METHODS

FA nanoemulsions were prepared, pharmaceutically characterized, and the selected nanoemusion was tested for its ulcer-ameliorative properties in rats after induction of gastric ulcer using ethanol, by examination of stomach tissues, assessment of serum IL-1β and TNF-α, assessment of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, glutathione, catalase and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance in stomach homogenates, as well as histological and immunohistochemical evaluation.

RESULTS

Results revealed that the selected FA nanoemulsion showed a particle size of 90.43 nm, sustained release of FA for 8 h, and better in vitro anti-inflammatory properties than FA. Moreover, FA nanoemulsion exhibited significantly better anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in vivo, and the gastric tissue treated with FA nanoemulsion was comparable to the normal control upon histological and immunohistochemical evaluation.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that the prepared ferulic acid nanoemulsion is an ideal anti-ulcer system, which is worthy of further investigations.

RETRACTED: Ahmed et al. Omega-3 Self-Nanoemulsion Role in Gastroprotection against Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Injury in Rats. Pharmaceutics 2020, 12, 140

The journal retracts the article, "Omega-3 Self-Nanoemulsion Role in Gastroprotection against Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Injury in Rats" [...].

Antiulcer Effect of Aqueous Ethanolic Extracts of Pseudocedrela kotschyi (Schweinf) Harms (Meliaceae) and Ximenia americana L. (Olacaceae)

Purpose

This study aimed to provide pharmacological evidence of Pseudocedrela kotschyi and Ximenia americana in preventing or healing peptic ulcers claimed by traditional healers in Burkina Faso.

Methods

The trunk bark of Pseudocedrela kotschyi and the roots bark of Ximenia americana (Olacaceae) were macerated in mixed ethanol/water (80:20), respectively, to obtain dried extracts. Two models of hydrochloric acid (HCl, 0.3 M/ethanol, 60%) and hypothermic stress-induced peptic ulcer were used. The cytoprotective effect of individual or combined plant extracts was assessed at 1; 10; 30mg/kg. bw. Then, the healing effect of the extracts at 10mg/kg.bw was evaluated within 21 days of treatment on the hydrochloric acid-induced ulcer model. The extracts' antioxidant activity and phenolic content were assessed to support the plant extracts' efficiency.

Results

The extracts of P. kotschyi and X. americana at 10 mg/kg.bw reduced ulceration index in hydrochloric acid- and hypothermic stress-ulcer models by more than 83% and 65%, respectively. The extract from X. americana at 10mg/kg.bw allowed complete ulcer healing but not the association of the two plant extracts. The plant extracts had IC50of inhibition of DPPH radical lower than 5μg/mL and total ferric reducing antioxidant power of more than 77 mg EQAA/100mg. The total polyphenolic content was 64.82 ±0.99 and 53.75 ±1.39 mg EGA/g of dried extract of P. kotschyi and X. americana, respectively.

Conclusion

X. americana extract is better than the combined two plant extracts in gastric cytoprotection and ulcer healing. Further investigations are needed to highlight mechanism-based effects.

Gastroprotective effect of topiramate on indomethacin-induced peptic ulcer in rats: Biochemical and histological analyses

Topiramate is an anticonvulsant drug effective against a wide range of seizures and epilepsies. The present study was conducted to investigate the possible protective effect of topiramate on indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. The animals were randomly distributed into four experimental groups with 10 animals in each group. Group 1 was the control group received vehicle only (DMSO at 1:4 (w/v)), group 2 was the model group received indomethacin (50 mg/kg; i.p.), and groups 3 and 4 received topiramate (100 mg/kg; i.p.) and ranitidine (100 mg/kg; i.p.), respectively, 1 h before indomethacin (50 mg/kg; i.p.). The efficacy of topiramate was compared with ranitidine. Animals were euthanized 4 h after indomethacin administration, and gastric tissues were collected for macroscopical, histopathological, and biochemical analyses. The mucosal lesions in the gastric corpus were evaluated by pathological examinations. The results revealed that the administration of indomethacin caused evident gastric mucosal damage with morphological and histological manifestation, whereas topiramate pretreatment extensively ameliorated the gastric injuries. Topiramate pretreatment also reduced the contents of tissue malonaldehyde, enhanced ferric reducing antioxidant power value and glutathione levels, and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in gastric mucosa compared to the model group. Our results indicate that topiramate might possess a protective role against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers by inhibition of oxidative stress in gastric tissue.

Phyto-Phospholipid Conjugated Scorpion Venom Nanovesicles as Promising Carrier That Improves Efficacy of Thymoquinone against Adenocarcinoma Human Alveolar Basal Epithelial Cells

Lung cancer is a dangerous type of cancer in men and the third leading cause of cancer-related death in women, behind breast and colorectal cancers. Thymoquinone (THQ), a main compound in black seed essential oils, has a variety of beneficial effects, including antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. On the other hand, scorpion venom peptides (SV) induce apoptosis in the cancer cells, making it a promising anticancer agent. THQ, SV, and Phospholipon® 90H (PL) were incorporated in a nano-based delivery platform to assess THQ's cellular uptake and antiproliferative efficacy against a lung cancer cell line derived from human alveolar epithelial cells (A549). Several nanovesicles were prepared and optimized using factorial experimental design. The optimized phytosome formulation contained 79.0 mg of PL and 170.0 mg of SV, with vesicle size and zeta potential of 209.9 nm and 21.1 mV, respectively. The IC50 values revealed that A549 cells were significantly more sensitive to the THQ formula than the plain formula and THQ. Cell cycle analysis revealed that THQ formula treatment resulted in significant cell cycle arrest at the S phase, increasing cell population in this phase by 22.1%. Furthermore, the THQ formula greatly increased cell apoptosis (25.17%) when compared to the untreated control (1.76%), plain formula (11.96%), or THQ alone (13.18%). The results also indicated that treatment with THQ formula significantly increased caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, and p53 mRNA expression compared to plain formula and THQ. In terms of the inflammatory markers, THQ formula significantly reduced the activity of TNF-α and NF-κB in comparison with the plain formula and THQ only. Overall, the findings from the study proved that a phytosome formulation of THQ could be a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

Development and Evaluation of Icariin-Loaded PLGA-PEG Nanoparticles for Potentiation the Proapoptotic Activity in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Therapeutic efficacy of antineoplastic agents possessing a selective target to the nucleus of the cancer cells could be enhanced through novel formulation approaches. Thus, towards improvement of anticancer potential of icariin (ICA) on pancreatic cancer, the drug was entrapped into the polymeric poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as diblock copolymer. Optimization of the formulation was done using Statgraphics software to standardize percentages of PEG-PLGA and tween 80 (TW80) to obtain the smallest particle size. The optimized formulation was found to be in nanometer size and low PDI (0.321). Optimized formula enhanced cytotoxicity and apoptotic potential, compared with ICA-raw, against pancreatic cancer cell lines (aspc-1). The entrapment efficiency of the polymeric micelles was 72.34 ± 2.3% with 93.1 ± 6.5% release of ICA within 72 h. There was a twofold increase in apoptosis and sevenfold increase in necrosis of aspc-1 cells when incubated with raw ICA compared to control cells. Further, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (⁓50-fold) by the ICA-loaded PMs and free drug compared to control cells was found to be due to the generation of ROS. Findings of cell cycle analysis revealed the significant arrest of G2-M phase of aspc-1 cells when incubated with the optimized formulation. Simultaneously, a significantly increased number of cells in pre-G1 revealed maximum apoptotic potential of the drug when delivered via micellar formulation. Finally, upregulation of caspase-3 established the superiority of the PMs approach against pancreatic cancer. In summary, the acquired results highlighted the potentiality of PMs delivery tool for controlling the growth of pancreatic cancer cells for improved efficacy.

(-)-Carveol Prevents Gastric Ulcers via Cytoprotective, Antioxidant, Antisecretory and Immunoregulatory Mechanisms in Animal Models

Background: (-)-Carveol (p-Mentha-6,8-dien-2-ol) is a monocyclic monoterpenic alcohol, present in essential oils of plant species such as Cymbopogon giganteus, Illicium pachyphyllum and in spices such as Carum carvi (cumin). Pharmacological studies report its antitumor, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, vasorelaxant, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

Hypothesis/Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute non-clinical oral toxicity, gastroprotective activity of monoterpene (-)-Carveol in animal models and the related mechanisms of action.

Methods: Acute toxicity was assessed according to OECD guide 423 in mice. Ethanol, stress, NSAIDs and pylorus ligation-induced gastric ulcer models were used to investigate antiulcer properties. The related mechanisms of action were using the ethanol-gastric lesions protocol.

Results: (-)-Carveol has low toxicity, with a lethal dose 50% (LD₅₀) equal to or greater than 2,500 mg/kg according to OECD guide nº 423. In all gastric ulcer induction methods evaluated, (-)-Carveol (25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the ulcerative lesion in comparison with the respective control groups. To investigate the mechanisms involved in the gastroprotective activity, the antisecretory or neutralizing of gastric secretion, cytoprotective, antioxidant and immunoregulatory effects were evaluated. In the experimental protocol of pylorus ligation-induced gastric ulcer, (-)-Carveol (100 mg/kg) reduced (p < 0.001) the volume of gastric secretion in both routes (oral and intraduodenal). The previous administration of blockers NEM (sulfhydryl groups blocker), L-NAME (nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor), glibenclamide (K_ATP channel blocker) and indomethacin (cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor), significantly reduced the gastroprotection exercised by (-)-Carveol, suggesting the participation of these pathways in its gastroprotective activity. In addition, treatment with (-)-Carveol (100 mg/kg) increased (p < 0.001) mucus adhered to the gastric wall. Treatment also increased (p < 0.001) levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). It also reduced (p < 0.001) malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels.

Conclusion: Thus, it is possible to infer that (-)-Carveol presents gastroprotective activity related to antisecretory, cytoprotective, antioxidant and immunomodulatory mechanisms.

Optimization of Thymoquinone-Loaded Self-Nanoemulsion for Management of Indomethacin-Induced Ulcer

To improve the water solubility of thymoquinone (TQ), a major constituent of Nigella sativa seed oil, a TQ-loaded self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) was prepared. The SNEDDS formulation was optimized using almond oil (AO) (Oil; X1), tween 80 (surfactant; X2) and polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200) (cosurfactant; X3) compounds as independent variables. The results showed that the globule size ranged from 65 to 320 nm. In addition, a strong agreement was reached between the system estimation and the experimental values of globule size. To evaluate the gastroprotective effect of optimized TQ-loaded SNEDDS against indomethacin (Indo.)-induced gastric ulcers in comparison with non-emulsified TQ, the ulcer index and histopathological changes were estimated. Optimized TQ-loaded SNEDDS showed improved gastroprotective activity against Indo.-induced ulcers relative to the non-emulsified TQ. In addition, the gastroprotective index was improved by 2-fold in TQ-loaded SNEDDS as compared to non-emulsified TQ. This is attributed to the strong antioxidant and the cytoprotective activities of the TQ. These results demonstrate enhancement of the efficacy of TQ through the optimized SNEDDS.

Exploiting drug delivery systems for oral route in the peptic ulcer disease treatment

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a common condition that is induced by acid and pepsin causing lesions in the mucosa of the duodenum and stomach. The pathogenesis of PUD is a many-sided scenario, which involves an imbalance between protective factors, such as prostaglandins, blood flow, and cell renewal, and aggressive ones, like alcohol abuse, smoking, Helicobacter pylori colonisation, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The standard oral treatment is well established; however, several problems can decrease the success of this therapy, such as drug degradation in the gastric environment, low oral bioavailability, and lack of vectorisation to the target site. In this way, the use of strategies to improve the effectiveness of these conventional drugs becomes interesting. Currently, the use of drug delivery systems is being explored as an option to improve the drug therapy limitations, such as antimicrobial resistance, low bioavailability, molecule degradation in an acid environment, and low concentration of the drug at the site of action. This article provides a review of oral drug delivery systems looking for improving the treatment of PUD.

Optimized Self-Nanoemulsifying Delivery System Based on Plant-Derived Oil Augments Alpha-Lipoic Acid Protective Effects Against Experimentally Induced Gastric Lesions

Peptic ulcer disease is an injury of the alimentary tract that leads to a mucosal defect reaching the submucosa. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a natural potent antioxidant, has been known as a gastroprotective drug yet its low bioavailability may restrict its therapeutic efficacy. This study aimed to formulate and optimize ALA using a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) with a size of nano-range, enhancing its absorption and augmenting its gastric ulcer protection efficacy. Three SNEDDS components were selected as the design factors: the concentrations of the pumpkin oil (X1, 10–30%), the surfactant tween 80 (X2, 20–50%), and the co-surfactant polyethylene glycol 200 (X3, 30–60%). The experimental design for the proposed mixture produced 16 formulations with varying ALA-SNEDDS formulation component percentages. The optimized ALA-SNEDDS formula was investigated for gastric ulcer protective effects by evaluating the ulcer index and by the determination of gastric mucosa oxidative stress parameters. Results revealed that optimized ALA-SNEDDS achieved significant improvement in gastric ulcer index in comparison with raw ALA. Histopathological findings confirmed the protective effect of the formulated optimized ALASNEDDS in comparison with raw ALA. These findings suggest that formulation of ALA in SNEDDS form would be more effective in gastric ulcer protection compared to pure ALA.

The Impact of Oxidative Stress in Human Pathology: Focus on Gastrointestinal Disorders

Accumulating evidence shows that oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathogenesis and progression of many diseases. The imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant systems has been extensively studied in pulmonary, neurodegenerative cardiovascular disorders; however, its contribution is still debated in gastrointestinal disorders. Evidence suggests that oxidative stress affects gastrointestinal motility in obesity, and post-infectious disorders by favoring the smooth muscle phenotypic switch toward a synthetic phenotype. The aim of this review is to gain insight into the role played by oxidative stress in gastrointestinal pathologies (GIT), and the involvement of ROS in the signaling underlying the muscular alterations of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In addition, potential therapeutic strategies based on the use of antioxidants for the treatment of inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases are reviewed and discussed. Although substantial progress has been made in identifying new techniques capable of assessing the presence of oxidative stress in humans, the biochemical-molecular mechanisms underlying GIT mucosal disorders are not yet well defined. Therefore, further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms through which oxidative stress-related signaling can contribute to the alteration of the GIT mucosa in order to devise effective preventive and curative therapeutic strategies.

Thymoquinone-Loaded Soy-Phospholipid-Based Phytosomes Exhibit Anticancer Potential against Human Lung Cancer Cells

Thymoquinone (TQ), a natural polyphenol, has been associated with various pharmacological responses; however, low bioavailability of TQ limits its clinical application. Thus, a novel phytosomal delivery system of TQ-Phospholipon® 90H complex (TQ-phytosome) was developed by refluxing combined with anti-solvent precipitation. This TQ delivery system was optimized by a three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design. The optimized TQ-phytosome size was (45.59 ± 1.82 nm) and the vesicle size was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The in vitro release pattern of the formulation indicated a biphasic release pattern, where an initial burst release was observed within 2 h, followed by a prolonged release. A remarkable increase in dose-dependent cytotoxicity was evident from the significant decrease in IC50 value of TQ-phytosomes (4.31 ± 2.21 µM) against the A549 cell line. The differential effect of TQ-phytosomes in cell cycle analysis was observed, where cancer cells were accumulated on G2-M and pre-G1 phases. Furthermore, increased apoptotic induction and cell necrosis of TQ-phytosomes were revealed with the annexin V staining technique via activation of caspase-3. In reactive oxygen species (ROS) analysis, TQ-phytosomes acted to significantly increase ROS generation in A549 cells. In conclusion, the sustained release profile with significantly-improved anticancer potential could be obtained with TQ by this phytosomal nanocarrier platform.

Optimized Ellagic Acid-Ca Pectinate Floating Beads for Gastroprotection against Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Injury in Rats

A peptic ulcer is an alimentary tract injury that leads to a mucosal defect reaching the submucosa. This work aimed to optimize and maximize ellagic acid (EA) loading in Ca pectinate floating beads to maximize the release for 24 h. Three factors were selected: Ca pectinate concentration (X1, 1–3 w/v %), EA concentration (X2, 1–3 w/v %) and the dropping time (X3, 10–30 min). The factorial design proposed eight formulations. The optimized EA–Ca pectinate formulation was evaluated for the gastric ulcer index and the oxidative stress parameter determination of gastric mucosa. The results indicated that the optimum EA–Ca pectinate formula significantly improved the gastric ulcer index in comparison with raw EA. The protective effect of the optimized EA–Ca pectinate formula was further indicated by the histopathological features of the stomach. The results of the study indicate that an EA formulation in the form of Ca pectinate beads would be effective for protection against gastric ulcers because of Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) administration.