Gastroprotective Effects of Fermented Lotus Root against Ethanol/HCl-Induced Gastric Mucosal Acute Toxicity in Rats

Abstract

Gastric ulcers are a common gastrointestinal disease across the globe. Alcohol consumption is the primary cause of gastric carcinogenesis and progression. We investigated the gastroprotective effects of fermented lotus root (FL) against ethanol (EtOH)/HCl-induced gastric ulcers in a rat model and the conceivable underlying mechanisms involved. Rats received different doses of FL (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) or ranitidine (positive control, 30 mg/kg) via oral gavage daily for 14 days. One hour after the last oral administration of FL, the EtOH/HCl mixture was orally intubated to induce gastric damage. Oral administration of FL significantly alleviated the gastric lesions. Moreover, FL also elevated the amounts of nitric oxide and the antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase in the stomach. To verify the gastric mucosal defense mechanism, inflammation-related genes were measured. Our results revealed that FL effectively inhibited gastric mucosal damage via downregulation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) response in the stomach. The administration of FL significantly lowered the gastric mRNA expression of inflammation-related genes, including NF-κb1, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon γ, and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2, compared with the gastric ulcer control group. In addition, the NF-κB signaling pathway-related protein markers inhibitor of κB (IκB)-α, IκB kinase, and NF-κB were significantly reduced in the FL groups. Taken together, these data suggest that FL administration may have potential as an alternative treatment for gastric ulcers due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and its ability to promote the recovery of gastric mucosa.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Fermented Lotus Root and Linoleic Acid in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced RAW 264.7 Cells

“…Taken together, the results of this study provide mechanistic support to our previous study where we showed that gastroprotective effects of FLR in vivo [ 34 ]. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first demonstration of the anti-inflammatory effects of FLR and its component LA in LPS-induced macrophages.…”

“…In our previous study, we found that FLR contained LA [ 34 ] and the chromatogram of LA obtained by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) is shown in Figure 4 a. The amount of LA, deduced according to the formula offered by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Korea), was around 153 mg/100 g FLR.…”

“…Fermented lotus root (FLR) was obtained in powder form from Hwashin Farming Corporation (Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea). The method used for the lotus root fermentation has been detailed in our previous study [ 34 ]. The FLR powder was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and was then filtered with 0.20 μM syringe filter as a stock solution.…”

“…In an earlier study, we demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of fermented lotus root (FLR) on ethanol/HCl-induced gastric ulcers in rats [ 34 ], suggesting that FLR can be used as a functional food for attenuating inflammatory diseases. Notably, one the major constituents of N. nucifera , linoleic acid (LA), is a polyunsaturated ω-6 essential fatty acid, which humans obtain from foods or supplements.…”

Protective Effects of Anwulignan against HCl/Ethanol-Induced Acute Gastric Ulcer in Mice

“…At the same time, the accumulation of free radicals can also cause the damage of DNA in cells, and 8-OHdG is the most commonly used biomarker of DNA oxidative damage [42]. In this study, the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px were significantly decreased, and the contents of ROS, MDA, and 8-OHdG were significantly increased in the gastric tissue; these were consistent with the other reports [43,44], while the pretreatment with AN could significantly increase the activity of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px and decrease the content of ROS, MDA, and 8-OHdG. All these suggest that AN may alleviate the gastric ulcer by its antioxidation.…”