Combined Extracts of 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 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 and green tea, MPGT, exerted significantly either antioxidative or anti-inflammatory actions against -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.