OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Rhizoma Atractylodis extract (ERA) in protecting gastric mucosa and modulating gastrointestinal immune function of a rat model of spleen deficiency syndrome and elucidate the mechanism by which ERA improves spleen deficiency syndrome.

METHODSMale rats were fed with Xiaochengqi decoction and subjected to irregular feeding to induce spleen deficiency syndrome. The established models were randomized into model group, high-, moderate- and low-dose ERA groups, and domperidone group. After corresponding treatment for 30 days, the content of IgA in the intestinal lavage fluid, serum IgG, and the indices of the spleen and thymus were determined. The pathological changes in the gastric mucosa was observed with HE staining, gastric mucosal blood flow was evaluated with laser Doppler rheometry, and the expression of TFF1 in the gastric mucosa and TLR4 expression in the colon tissue were detected with immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe rat models of spleen deficiency syndrome showed obvious abnormalities in gastric mucosal morphology, blood flow and immunological indexes. Compared with the model rats, the rats receiving ERA treatment as different doses all showed significant improvements in gastric mucosal morphology, blood flow volume, gastric mucosa trefoil factor 1 (TFF1) expression, intestinal lavage fluid IgA content, serum IgG content, indices of the spleen and thymus, and TLR4 expression in the colon TLR4 (P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONERA can inhibit gastric mucosal damage, protect and repair the damaged mucosal tissues, and improve the immune function of in rats with spleen deficiency.

Animals ; Atractylodes ; chemistry ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Gastric Mucosa ; drug effects ; pathology ; Immunoglobulin A ; metabolism ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Peptides ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Spleen ; physiopathology ; Trefoil Factor-2

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was performed to determine the association between RUNX3 expression and Helicobacter pylori infection in premalignant gastric lesions. METHODS: We examined 107 patients with gastric epithelial dysplasia who had undergone endoscopic mucosal resection or submucosal dissection. All tissue samples were evaluated by RUNX3 staining and subclassified by immunophenotype. H. pylori infection in dysplastic lesions and the normal surrounding tissue was examined by silver staining, and cagA status was assessed by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The loss of RUNX3 expression was observed in 62 cases (57.9%), and an association with H. pylori infection was found in 54 cases (50.5%). The infection rate with the cagA-positive H. pylori strain was 63.0%. In RUNX3-negative lesions, the rate of H. pylori infection (p=0.03) and the frequency of category 4 lesions (according to the revised Vienna classification) were high (p=0.02). In addition, the gastric mucin phenotype was predominant. In RUNX3-negative category 4 lesions, the rate of cagA-positive H. pylori infection rate was high but not significantly increased (p=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Infection with H. pylori is associated with inactivation of RUNX3 in early gastric carcinogenesis. This mechanism was prominent in gastric cancer with a gastric mucin phenotype.
Adenoma/*chemistry ; Aged ; Antigens, Bacterial/genetics ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Carcinoma/*chemistry ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 3 Subunit/*analysis ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa/*chemistry/pathology ; Helicobacter Infections/*metabolism ; Helicobacter pylori/*genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucin 5AC/analysis ; Mucin-2/analysis ; Mucin-6/analysis ; Neprilysin/analysis ; Phenotype ; Precancerous Conditions/*chemistry/pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms/*chemistry

BACKGROUNDAdult stem cells provide a promising alternative for the treatment of injured tissues. We aimed to investigate the effect of in vivo transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) on injured gastric mucosa in rats.

METHODSThe gastric ulcer in rats was induced by indomethacin. BMMSCs from male rats, labeled with the fluorescent cell linker 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFDA SE), were transplanted into the female rats via tail vein injection. The healing process of gastric ulcers was monitored by HE staining. The protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the injured gastric mucosa were determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSAt 48 and 72 hours after BMMSCs transplantation, the CFDA SE labeled cells were found scattered in the injured gastric mucosa, but not in the gastric mucosa of control rats. At 72 hours after BMMSCs transplantation, the mean ulcer index was 12.67 ± 2.16 in the BMMSCs transplanted group and 17.33 ± 1.97 in vehicle-treated controls (P < 0.01). Both VEGF and EGFR protein expression levels were significantly higher in the gastric section from the rats that received BMMSCs transplantation as compared to rats without BMMSCs transplantation.

CONCLUSIONAutologous BMMSCs transplantation can accelerate gastric ulcer healing in injured gastric mucosa in a rodent model.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cell Movement ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; pathology ; Genes, sry ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; analysis ; Stomach Ulcer ; pathology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of Zuojin Pills and its similar formulas on the stomach cold syndrome in a Wei cold model in rats.

METHODSThe rat Wei cold model was established by intragastric administration of glacial NaOH, and the gastric mucosa injury indices, together with the levels of motilin and gastrin in the stomach, were determined. The preventive and curative effects of Zuojin Pills and its similar formulas on gastric mucosa injury were investigated.

RESULTSZuojin Pills and its similar formulas could protect the gastric mucosa in the gastric cold model in rats at different levels. Fanzuojin Pills had the best effect in inhibiting gastric mucosa injury.

CONCLUSIONThe different pharmacological effects of Zuojin Pills and its similar formulas in the rat gastric cold model were partially correlated with the degrees in cold and heat properties of the formulas.

Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Cold Temperature ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Gastric Mucosa ; drug effects ; pathology ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach Diseases ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Tablets ; Therapeutic Equivalency

OBJECTIVEGrowth, regeneration and reparation of gastric mucosal epithelium may relate to the expression of peptides. This study aimed to investigate the effect of pS2, TGF-alpha and PCNA in endotoxin-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in young rats.

METHODSEighteen-day-old Wistar rats were randomly injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg) or normal saline (control). The gastric mucosal specimens were harvested 1.5, 3, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hrs after LPS or normal saline injection (n=8 each). The pathological changes of the gastric mucosa were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression of pS2,TGF-alpha and PCNA was measured by immunohistochemistry SP method.

RESULTSGastric mucosal injuries were the most serious 6 hrs after LPS injection, characterized by massive erosion, bleeding and cord necrosis of the gastric mucosa paralleling with gastric longitudinal axis. PCNA expression in the gastric mucosa in the LPS group 3, 6, 24 and 48 hrs after LPS injection was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). pS2 expression in the gastric mucosa weakened 1.5 hrs after LPS injection, recovered to the control level at 3 hrs and was significantly higher than the control at 6, 24, 48 and 72 hrs of LPS injection (P<0.01). TGF-alpha expression in the gastric mucosa in the LPS group increased significantly 6, 24 and 48 hrs after LPS injection when compared with the control group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSPCNA expression may be associated with the proliferation activity of the gastric mucosa in the process of gastric mucosal injury/reparation. pS2 and TGF-alpha might participate in the defense and reparation of gastric mucosal cells through mediating cell proliferation following acute gastric mucosal injury.

Animals ; Endotoxemia ; metabolism ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Peptides ; analysis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha ; analysis ; Trefoil Factor-2

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of syndecan-1 protein at different stages in the course of gastric carcinoma and its significance in carcinogenesis and metastasis.

METHODSThere were 56 cases of chronic gastritis, 50 cases of chronic atrophic gastritis, 59 cases of intestinal metaplasia, 61 cases of displasia, and 112 cases of gastric carcinoma. Among the carcinoma cases, 55 were without and 57 with lymph node metastases. All paraffin-embedded tissue samples were assessed by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe syndecan-1 positive rate was 96.43% (54/56) in gastritis, 98.00% (49/50) in chronic atrophic gastritis, 100.00% (59/59) in intestinal metaplasia, 91.80% (56/61) in displasia, 45.45% (25/55) in gastric carcinoma without, and 24.56% (14/57) in gastric carcinoma with lymph node metastases. There was no significant difference among chronic gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia (P > 0.05). There was a significant difference between displasia group and gastric carcinoma group (P <0.05), as well as between gastric carcinoma with and without lymph node metastases. There was a significant difference among well, moderately and poorly differentiated carcinoma groups.

CONCLUSIONA decreasing expression of syedecan-1 in the development of gastric carcinoma is related with gastric carcinogenesis, and it may further promote metastasis of gastric carcinoma.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; pathology ; Gastritis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Metaplasia ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Precancerous Conditions ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stomach ; chemistry ; pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Syndecan-1 ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of transcription factor Sp1 in gastric cancer tissue and its correlation with prognosis.

METHODSSp1 expression patterns in specimens of 86 gastric cancers, 57 normal gastric tissues and 53 metastatic lymph nodes were detected by immunohistochemical method. The activity of Sp1 in the tumor and normal tissues was examined by electrophoretic mobility shift analysis (EMSA). The correlation between transcription factor Sp1 expression of tumors and patients' prognosis were statistically analyzed using Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTSIn normal gastric tissue, Sp1 protein was predominantly expressed in the nuclei of cell located in the mucous neck region, but neither in the gastric pit cells with foveolar differentiation, nor in cells of the glandular epithelium with glandular differentiation. Strong Sp1 expression was also detected in tumor cells, but very weak or even no Sp1 expression in stromal cells or normal glandular cells surrounding the tumor. The median survival time of patients with negative, weak, and strong Sp1 expression was 43, 37, and 8 months, respectively (P < 0.01). Spl expression (P < 0.01) and stage (P < 0.001) were demonstrated as independent prognostic factor by multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONNormal and malignant gastric tissue are found to have its own unique Sp1 expression patterns. Sp1 expression may be used as an important survival predictor in human gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adenocarcinoma, Papillary ; metabolism ; pathology ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; statistics & numerical data ; Cell Nucleus ; metabolism ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; statistics & numerical data ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Sp1 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Survival Analysis

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of extract from Pongamia pinnata roots on experimental gastric ulcer and screen the effective fraction.

METHODThe models of gastric mucosa damage were induced by absolute alcohol in rats and reserpine in mice to observed the effect of ethyl alcohol extract from P. pinnata roots (PRE) and different parts on experimental gastric ulcer.

RESULTPRE, acetic ether extract and n-butanol extract could significantly inhibit the gastric mucosa damage induced by absolute alcohol in rats and reserpine in mice. In absolute alcohol models the gastric ulcer rates of inhibition were 86.4%, 85.4%, 11.5%, respectively. In reserpine models the gastric ulcer rates of inhibition were 37.8%, 33.8%, 19.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONPRE, acetic ether extract and n-butanol extract could significantly inhibit the gastric mucosa damage induced by absolute alcohol in rats and reserpine in mice. Acetic ether extract from P. pinnata roots has the best effect on experimental gastric ulcer.

Animals ; Anti-Ulcer Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Ethanol ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Millettia ; chemistry ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reserpine ; Stomach Ulcer ; chemically induced ; pathology ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effects of Panax japonics (PJ) on alcohol-induced gastric lesion in mice and the possible mechanisms.

METHODMale ICR mice were randomized into six groups: normal, control, PJ (1.5, 3.0, 6.0 g x kg(-1)) and Yinduoan (1.5 g x kg(-1)). The mice were pretreated with PJ before administering ethanol to observe the effect on the concentration of ethanol in serum and urine. The contents of MDA, GSH and GSH-PX, CAT and SOD activities were measured in serum and gastric mucosa, and subsequently, the pathological evaluation of stomach was also observed.

RESULTThe concentration of ethanol in serum was evidently decreased after PJ (1.5, 3.0 g x kg(-1)) was administrated because the ethanol was eliminated fleetly through urine. Synchronously the PJ reduced the content of MDA and increased the GSH increased in serum and gastric, besides, it increased the enzymatic activities of GSHPX, CAT and SOD, and the ethanol-induced gastric mitochondria structure injury were ameliorated so as to make the function to normal.

CONCLUSIONBased on these observations, one could conclude that the PJ is a potent protective agent against ethanol-induced gastric damages. One mechanism may be related with inhibiting the absorbability of ethanol at gastrointestinal tract, decreasing the concentration of ethanol in serum, and accelerating the ethanol elimination through urine so as to alleviate the ethanol-induced damage to gastrointestinal mucosal, enhancing the first-pass metabolism in stomach, and particularly increasing the antioxidant levels in serum and gastric. These gastroprotective effects might be, at least partly, through ameliorating the gastric mitochondria structure.

Animals ; Catalase ; blood ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Ethanol ; Gastric Mucosa ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Glutathione ; blood ; metabolism ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; blood ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mitochondria ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Panax ; chemistry ; Phytotherapy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Stomach Diseases ; blood ; chemically induced ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo study the effect and mechanism of mexican tea herb and pilular adina herb (abbreviated to MP) on concrescence of gastric mucosa in experimental gastric ulcer rats by observing the changes of epidermal growth factor (EGF), nitrogen monoxidum (NO) and expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

METHODSThe rat ulcer model was established by 100% glacial acetic injection into the subserosa. The ulcer index (UI) was measured by sliding caliper. The levels of NO and EGF in tissue and serum were measured by the nitrate reductase method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The expression of EGFR in the mucosa around the ulcer was detected by the immunohistochemical assay and microimage analysis system.

RESULTS(1) Compared with the model group, UI of MP groups (10, 15 and 20 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)) and ranitidine group was lower (P<0.05 or P<0.01), the levels of NO and EGF in the tissue and serum were higher (P<0.05), the thickness of regenerated mucous membrane increased, and the width loss of lamina muscularis mucosa decreased (all P<0.05). (2) The expression of EGFR is weakly positive in gastric mucosa cells in the normal group, mainly in the cytoplasm and cytomembrane. In the model group, the expression of EGFR was mainly in epithelial cells in cervical part and basilar part of gastric gland around the ulcer margin, and the number of cells with EGFR weakly positive expression was more than that in the normal group. Compared with that in the normal and model groups, the number of cells with EGFR positive in MP groups and ranitidine group increased (all P<0.05), with weakly positive expression.

CONCLUSIONMP can protect gastric mucosa, cure gastric ulcer, restrain the secretion of gastric acid, and boost multiplication, differentiation, migration and repair of the endothelial cell by promoting the secretion of NO and EGF, and increasing the expression of EGFR of gastric mucosa epithelial cells.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; analysis ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; drug effects ; pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; analysis ; Regeneration ; Stomach Ulcer ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Tea