Berberine demonstrates anti‐inflammatory properties in Helicobacter pylori‐infected mice with chronic gastritis by attenuating the Th17 response triggered by the B cell‐activating factor

Abstract

Berberine (BBR) is an isoquinoline alkaloid derived from various medicinal herbs. Previous studies have suggested that BBR exerts antimicrobial, antitumor, and antidiabetic effects and can be used to treat Helicobacter pylori-induced chronic gastritis. However, the exact mechanism by which BBR inhibits H. pylori infection is not fully understood. We investigated the anti-inflammatory properties and potential mechanism of BBR in H. pylori-infected mice with chronic gastritis. We found that BBR can suppress the expression of pro-inflammatory genes IL-6, TGF-β, and IL-1β and upregulate anti-inflammatory gene IL-10 expression in the mucosa and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Exposure to BBR also reduced the expression and accumulation of IL-17 in the mucosa and CD4 T cells activated by anti-CD3 and anti-CD28, and it decreased the frequency of IL-17-producing CD4 T cells. B cell-activating factor (BAFF) production was inhibited by BBR and by cultured dendritic and CD4 T cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that BAFF can trigger the Th17 response by promoting the production of pro-Th17 cytokines IL-6, TGF-β, and IL-1β, which are strongly associated with the anti-inflammatory role of BBR in chronic gastritis caused by H. pylori. In conclusion, we determined that BBR has anti-inflammatory effects on H. pylori-induced chronic gastritis by attenuating the BAFF-triggered Th17 response.

A novel berberine‐metformin hybrid compound exerts therapeutic effects on obese type 2 diabetic rats

“…Metformin (MET) has been used as the first‐line drug therapy for T2DM, due to its excellent inhibitory effect on hepatic glucose production . Berberine (BB) is an isoquinoline alkaloid originally isolated from Chinese herb Coptis chinensis (Huang lian), which exerts anti‐diabetic and anti‐inflammatory activities . Over the past decades, a number of experimental and clinical studies have been centralized on the biological activities of Metformin, Berberin and their derivatives .…”

“…[10][11][12] Berberine (BB) is an isoquinoline alkaloid originally isolated from Chinese herb Coptis chinensis (Huang lian), which exerts anti-diabetic [13][14][15][16] and anti-inflammatory activities. [17][18][19] Over the past decades, a number of experimental and clinical studies have been centralized on the biological activities of Metformin, Berberin and their derivatives. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] However, little information is available on the synthesis of novel compounds containing Metformin and Berberin derivatives.…”

The Efficacy of Berberine-Containing Quadruple Therapy on Helicobacter Pylori Eradication in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

“…Studies of TCM on H. pylori have shown that some herbs such as R. coptidis, C. phellodendri, and berberine can inhibit H. pylori (Li et al, 2016). Many clinical trials have also shown that berberine, an antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor drug can be used to treat H. pylori-induced chronic gastritis in vitro and in vivo (Chang et al, 2011;Lin et al, 2015;Tan et al, 2017;Wu et al, 2018). Furthermore, an open-label randomized phase IV trial showed that both bismuth-containing and berberinecontaining quadruple therapy achieved the recommended efficacy and can be recommended as the first-line treatment for H. pylori eradication in Xi'an, China (Zhang et al, 2017).…”

“…As an "Eastern antibiotic" in TCM, berberine has been used to treat diarrhea for a thousand years (Zhang, 1992). Recently, many experiments have proved that berberine has anti-H. pylori ability in vivo and in vitro (Huang et al, 2015;Wu et al, 2018). Berberine can effectively suppress multiresistant strains of H. pylori, and the minimum H. pylori inhibitory concentration of amoxicillin and tetracycline was lowered after the berberine intervention in vitro (Huang et al, 2015).…”

“…Berberine can effectively suppress multiresistant strains of H. pylori, and the minimum H. pylori inhibitory concentration of amoxicillin and tetracycline was lowered after the berberine intervention in vitro (Huang et al, 2015). Berberine can also suppress the expression of proinflammatory genes and upregulate antiinflammatory gene expression in H. pylori-infected mice (Wu et al, 2018). With the efficacy of the standard triple therapy for H. pylori declining, the anti-H. pylori property of berberine has received more attention.…”