Effect of sulglycotide on the apoptotic processes associated with indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal injury

Endothelin-1-dependent up-regulation of leptin production in gastric mucosal injury by indomethacin

Leptin, a multifunctional hormone that regulates food intake and metabolic and endocrine responses, has emerged recently as an important modulatory factor in gastric mucosal resistance to injury. In this study, we applied the animal model of gastric mucosal injury caused by indomethacin to investigate the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the mucosal leptin production. Using groups of rats subjected to intragastric administration of indomethacin (at 0-60 mg/kg), we show that gastric mucosal damage reached a maximum 4 h following the drug, and was accompanied by a marked elevation (up to 3.5-fold) in the mucosal leptin level, up to 4-fold enhancement in the expression of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) activity and up to 4.5-fold increase in ET-1 generation. Pretreatment with phosphoramidon, an inhibitor of ECE-1 activity, not only led to a decline in ECE-1 and ET-1 generation, but also produced a dose-dependent reduction in the mucosal level of leptin and the extent of mucosal damage caused by indomethacin. This effect of phosphoramidon, however, was subject to suppression by the exogenous ET-1 administration. Moreover, a marked drop in the mucosal level of leptin and the reduction in the severity of mucosal damage was attained following pretreatment with ET(A) receptor antagonist BQ610, but not by ET(B) receptor antagonist BQ788. The results implicate ET-1 as a key factor in the regulation of leptin production associated with gastric mucosal response to injury, and show that the stimulatory effect of ET-1 on leptin production occurs via ET(A) receptor activation.

Induction of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 in gastric mucosal injury by idomethacin

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a 21-amino acid vasoactive peptide produced from a 39-amino acid biologically inactive peptide, big ET-1, by the action of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1). We investigated gastric mucosal expression of ECE-1 during a 16 h course of inflammatory responses associated with gastric mucosal injury caused by indomethacin. The extent of gastric mucosal damage reached a maximum 4 h following the drug, and was accompanied by a 3.9-fold enhancement in the expression of ECE-1 activity and a significant elevation in ET-1 (4.5-fold), TNF-alpha (11.3-fold), and apoptosis (29.9-fold). A 37.2% decrease in the severity of lesion 16 h following the drug was associated with a 44.5% reduction in the mucosal expression of ECE-1 activity and a decline in TNF-alpha (64%), ET-1 (65.2%), and apoptosis (72.3%). The results demonstrate that gastric mucosal injury by indomethacin is associated with up-regulation of ECE-1 expression, which leads to the enhancement of ET-1 production, induction of TNF-alpha, and triggering apoptotic events that disrupt gastric mucosal homeostasis.

Gastric mucosal inflammatory responses toHelicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide: suppression of caspase-3 and nitric oxide synthase-2 by omeprazole and sucralfate

AIMS

Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide is a primary virulence factor responsible for eliciting acute mucosal inflammatory responses associated with H. pylori infection. In this study, we investigated the activity of a key apoptotic protease, caspase-3, and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2) during H. pylori lipopolysaccharide-induced acute gastritis, and evaluated the effect of anti-ulcer agents, omeprazole and sucralfate, on this process.

METHODS

Rats, pretreated twice daily with omeprazole at 40 mg/kg, sucralfate at 100 mg/kg, or the vehicle, were subjected to intragastric application of H. pylori lipopolysaccharide at 50 microg/animal, and after 4 additional days on the anti-ulcer drug or vehicle regimen their mucosal tissue was used for histologic assessment, assays of epithelial cells apoptosis, and the measurements of caspase-3 and NOS-2 activities.

RESULTS

In the absence of anti-ulcer agents,H. pylori lipopolysaccharide induced acute reaction characterized by the inflammatory infiltration of the lamina propria, hyperemia, and epithelial hemorrhage. This was accompanied by an 11.2-fold increase in epithelial cell apoptosis, a 6.5-fold induction in mucosal expression of NOS-2, and a 5.4-fold increase in caspase-3 activity. Treatment with proton pump inhibitor, omeprazole, produced a 39.6% reduction in the extent of mucosal inflammatory changes elicited by H. pylori lipopolysaccharide and a 75.5% decrease in the epithelial cells apoptosis, while the activity of caspase-3 decreased by 26.8% and that of NOS-2 showed a 46.7% decline. The gastroprotective agent, sucralfate, evoked a 62.3% reduction in the extent of mucosal inflammatory changes caused by the lipopolysaccharide, epithelial cell apoptosis decreased by 85.8%, and NOS-2 showed a 68.2% decline, while the activity of caspase-3 decreased by 39.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings implicate caspase-3 involvement in gastric mucosal inflammatory responses toH. pylori lipopolysaccharide, and point towards participation of NOS-2 in the amplification of the cell death-signaling cascade. We also show that anti-ulcer agents, omeprazole and sucralfate, are capable of suppressing the H. pylori-induced mucosal inflammatory responses by interfering with the events propagated by NOS-2 and caspase-3.