Gastroprotective Effects of Periplaneta americana L. Extract Against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Mice by Suppressing Apoptosis-Related Pathways

Shu Fu; Jiamei Chen; Chen Zhang; Jinfeng Shi; Xin Nie; Yichen Hu; Chaomei Fu; Xiaofang Li; Jinming Zhang

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.798421

Gastroprotective Effects of Periplaneta americana L. Extract Against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Mice by Suppressing Apoptosis-Related Pathways

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Dec 15:12:798421. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.798421. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Shu Fu¹, Jiamei Chen¹, Chen Zhang¹, Jinfeng Shi², Xin Nie¹, Yichen Hu³, Chaomei Fu¹, Xiaofang Li¹, Jinming Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
² School of Pharmacy, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industralization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

Although Periplaneta americana L. and its modern preparation, Kangfuxin liquid, have been extensively applied for ulcerative diseases in gastrointestinal tract (e.g., gastric ulcer (GU) and ulcerative colitis, the effective components and potential mechanisms) remain unclear. In accordance with the accumulating research evidences, the relieving/exacerbating of GU is noticeably correlated to focal tissue programmed cell death. Herein, gastro-protective effects of the effective Periplaneta americana L. extract (PAE) fraction were assessed in vitro and in vivo, involving in programmed cell death-related signaling channels. To screen the effective PAE fraction exerting gastroprotective effects, several PAE fractions were gained based on a wide range of ethanol solution concentration, and they were assessed on ethanol-induced ulcer mice. Based on HPLC investigation with the use of nucleosides, the chemical composition of screened effective PAE, extracted by 20% ethanol, was analyzed in terms of quality control. Based on CCK-8 assay, the protective effects on GES-1 cells, impaired by ethanol, of PAE were assessed. After 3 days pre-treatment with PAE (200, 400, 800 mg/kg), the gastric lesions were assessed by tissue morphology, and periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining, as well as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) based histopathology-related investigation. The levels for inflammation cytokines (IL1-β, TNF-α, IL-18, PGE2, and IL-6), antioxidant indices (SOD and MDA) were examined via ELISA. In the meantime, based on Western Blotting assay, the expression levels of some programmed cell death-related protein targets (NLRP3, caspase-1, NF-κB p65, MyD88, and TLR4) were analyzed. As revealed from the results, PAE is capable of alleviating gastric mucosa impairment, suppressing the inflammatory cytokines, and down-regulating the MyD88/NF-κB channels. Accordingly, 20% ethanol extract of Periplaneta americana L. would contribute its gastroprotective effects, thereby providing the evidence that its anti-GU mechanisms correlated with inhibiting programmed cell death channel.

Keywords: HPLC; MyD88/NF-κB; PAS staining; Periplaneta americana L.; gastric ulcer.