Combined Extracts of Artemisia and Green Tea, Mitigated Alcoholic Gastritis Via Enhanced Heat-shock Protein 27.

Background/Aims: Several lines of evidence from epidemiologic and laboratory studies have shown that the consumption of Artemisia or green tea extracts (MPGT) is inversely associated with the risk of alcohol-induced damage and other chronic diseases. Supported by previous studies showing that the combined extract of Artemisia and green tea, MPGT, exerted significantly either antioxidative or anti-inflammatory actions against Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric diseases, it was hypothesized that MPGT can offer protection against alcoholic gastritis. Methods: Ethanol was administered to induce gastric damage in Wistar rats, which had been pretreated with various doses of MPGT, to measure the rescuing action of a MPGT pretreatment against ethanol-induced gastric damage. In addition, the molecular mechanisms for the preventive effects were examined. Results: The MPGT pretreatment (100, 300, and 500 mg/kg) alleviated the ethanol-induced gastric damage, which was evidenced by the significant decrease in calcium-dependent phospholipase A2, MAPKs, and NF-κB levels compared to ethanol alone. Furthermore, the MPGT pretreatment preserved 15-prostaglandin dehydrogenase, whereas cyclooxygenase-2 was decreased significantly. All of these biochemical changes led to the significant alleviation of alcohol-associated gastric mucosal damage. Ethanol significantly increased the TUNEL positivity in the stomach, but MPGT decreased the apoptotic index significantly, which was associated with significantly lower pathological scores of ethanol-induced mucosal ulcerations. The significant protective changes observed alcoholic gastritis with MPGT were related to the increased expression of cytoprotective genes, such as heat-shock protein (HSP)27, HSP60, and PDGF. Conclusions: The efficient anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and regenerative actions of MPGT make it a potential nutrient phytoceutical to rescue the stomach from alcoholic gastritis.

Dietary Intervention of Artemisia and Green Tea Extracts to Rejuvenate Helicobacter pylori-Associated Chronic Atrophic Gastritis and to Prevent Tumorigenesis.

OBJECT: As nonmicrobial dietary approach is capable of controlling Helicobacter pylori infection, we evaluated the efficacy of long-term dietary administration of Artemisia and/or green tea extracts on H. pylori-initiated, high-salt-promoted chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric tumorigenesis mouse model. METHODS: Helicobacter pylori-infected and high-salt-diet-administered C57BL/6 mice were administered with Artemisia extracts (MP group) and/or green tea extracts (GT group) for 36 weeks in addition to the control group (ES group, gastroprotective drug, ecabet sodium 30 mg/kg, diet pellet). Gross and pathological gastric lesions were evaluated after 24 and 36 weeks, respectively, and their underlying molecular changes were measured in gastric homogenates. Detailed mechanisms were further evaluated in in vitro cell models. RESULTS: The erythematous and nodular changes and mucosal ulcerative and erosive lesions were noted in the control group at 24 weeks. MP, GT, MPGT, and ES groups all showed significantly ameliorated pathologic lesion compared to the control group (p < .05). After the 36 weeks, scattered nodular masses with some central ulcers and thin gastric surface were noted in the control stomach, whereas no tumorous lesion and milder atrophic changes were observed in all MP, GT, and MPGT groups except ES group (p < .05). On molecular analysis, increased expressions of COX-2, TNF-α, IL-6, lipid peroxide, and activated STAT3 relevant to H. pylori infection were significantly decreased with MPGT administration (p < .01), whereas HSP70 was significantly increased. PGDH expressions, core tumor suppressor involved in carcinogenesis, were significantly decreased with H. pylori infection (p < .05), but significantly increased in MPGT group (p < .05). Increased mucosal apoptotic index noted in the control group was significantly decreased with MP and/or GT along with significantly preserved gastric gastroprotective mediators (p < .01) such as mucins, HSP27, and HSP70. H. pylori-induced serum TNF-α and NF-κB activations were significantly decreased with MPGT administration (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Long-term dietary intake of MP and/or GT can be an effective strategy either to rejuvenate H. pylori atrophic gastritis or to suppress tumorigenesis.

The inhibitory effect of Prunella vulgaris L. on aldose reductase and protein glycation.

To evaluate the aldose reductase (AR) enzyme inhibitory ability of Prunella vulgaris L. extract, six compounds were isolated and tested for their effects. The components were subjected to in vitro bioassays to investigate their inhibitory assays using rat lens aldose reductase (rAR) and human recombinant AR (rhAR). Among them, caffeic acid ethylene ester showed the potent inhibition, with the IC(50) values of rAR and rhAR at 3.2 ± 0.55 µM and 12.58 ± 0.32 µM, respectively. In the kinetic analyses using Lineweaver-Burk plots of 1/velocity and 1/concentration of substrate, this compound showed noncompetitive inhibition against rhAR. Furthermore, it inhibited galactitol formation in a rat lens incubated with a high concentration of galactose. Also it has antioxidative as well as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) inhibitory effects. As a result, this compound could be offered as a leading compound for further study as a new natural products drug for diabetic complications.

Dynamic proteomic profile of potato tuber during its in vitro development.

Potato tuberization is a complicated biochemical process, which is dependent on external environmental factors. Tuber development in potato consists of a series of biochemical and morphological processes at the stolon tip. Signal transduction proteins are involved in the source-sink transition during potato tuberization. In the present study, we examined protein profiles under in vitro tuber-inducing conditions using a shotgun proteomic approach involving denaturing gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 251 proteins were identified and classified into 9 groups according to distinctive expression patterns during the tuberization stage. Stolon stage-specific proteins were primarily involved in the photosynthetic machinery. Proteins specific to the initial tuber stage included patatin. Proteins specific to the developing tuber stage included 6-fructokinase, phytoalexin-deficient 4-1, metallothionein II-like protein, and malate dehydrogenase. Novel stage-specific proteins identified during in vitro tuberization were ferredoxin-NADP reductase, 34 kDa porin, aquaporin, calmodulin, ripening-regulated protein, and starch synthase. Superoxide dismutase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and catalase I were most abundantly expressed in the stolon; however, the enzyme activities of these proteins were most activated at the initial tuber. The present shotgun proteomic study provides insights into the proteins that show altered expression during in vitro potato tuberization.