Overlapping cytokines in H. pylori infection and gastric cancer: A tandem meta-analysis

Pathological and Inflammatory Consequences of Aging

Aging is a complex, progressive, and irreversible biological process that entails numerous structural and functional changes in the organism. These changes affect all bodily systems, reducing their ability to respond and adapt to the environment. Chronic inflammation is one of the key factors driving the development of age-related diseases, ultimately causing a substantial decline in the functional abilities of older individuals. This persistent inflammatory state (commonly known as "inflammaging") is characterized by elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, an increase in oxidative stress, and a perturbation of immune homeostasis. Several factors, including cellular senescence, contribute to this inflammatory milieu, thereby amplifying conditions such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders. Exploring the mechanisms of chronic inflammation in aging is essential for developing targeted interventions aimed at promoting healthy aging. This review explains the strong connection between aging and chronic inflammation, highlighting potential therapeutic approaches like pharmacological treatments, dietary strategies, and lifestyle changes.

Cyanidin and Cyanidin-3-Glucoside Alleviate Peptic Ulcer Disease: Insights from in vitro, and in vivo Studies

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) remains a significant global health issue, affecting millions despite a decrease in overall prevalence. However, complications continue to persist, with substantial mortality rates in regions like India and China. Current treatments, though effective, have limitations, driving interest in plant-derived therapy. Anthocyanins, including cyanidin and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to explore the potential of cyanidin and C3G in alleviating PUD, focusing on their mechanisms of action and therapeutic efficacy in preclinical studies. Articles were searched in Scopus and PubMed databases and filtered for publication from 2014 to 2024, resulting in 89 articles from Scopus and 11 articles from PubMed. The articles were further screened by title, abstract, and full text, resulting in 6 articles. Cyanidin and C3G were described to be able to alleviate PUD by inhibiting the cytokine pro-inflammatory, reducing inflammation in gastric mucosa, and reducing lipid peroxidation in the gastric mucosa. These compounds have proven effective in managing other health problems, including peptic ulcers, but more in-depth exploration in clinical settings is required to confirm therapeutic potential in humans. It is necessary to validate the therapeutic efficacy and safety in human populations. This review provides an overview of preclinical studies of cyanidin and C3G, such as in vitro and in vivo, focusing on mechanism of action or their effectiveness in alleviating peptic ulcers.

Is Chronic Ice Water Ingestion a Risk Factor for Gastric Cancer Development? An Evidence-Based Hypothesis Focusing on East Asian Populations

This article introduces a novel risk factor for gastric cancer (GC) by analyzing available epidemiological data from East Asian populations. A significantly higher age-standardized GC rate was observed in Japanese and Korean populations than in Chinese populations, despite nearly identical ethnicity, food habits, obesity rates, and alcohol consumption. Given the pivotal role of environmental factors in GC development, particularly for the intestinal type, a thorough evaluation of the lifestyles of these three populations was conducted to identify commonalities and disparities. It was observed that Japanese and Korean individuals prefer consuming ice water, while Chinese individuals tend to drink warm water, potentially influenced by traditional Chinese medicine disciplines. Considering the key features of GC development, a literature review was conducted to investigate the mechanisms through which the consumption of ice water might contribute to GC initiation and progression. Mechanistically, exposing gastric cells to hypothermia can increase the risk of carcinogenesis through multiple pathways. This includes the promotion of Helicobacter pylori colonization, prolonged gastric inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in gastric cells. Furthermore, drinking ice water can enhance the survival, proliferation, and invasion of GC cells by releasing cold shock proteins, increasing gastric acid secretion, and delaying gastric emptying. Additionally, hypothermia can boost the immune evasion of cancer cells by weakening the antitumor immune system and activating different components of the tumor microenvironment. This paper also explores the association between exposure of GC cells to hypothermia and current insights into cancer hallmarks. These findings may partially elucidate the higher incidence of GC in Japanese and Korean populations and provide a clue for future experimental studies.Graphical abstract available for this article.

Enterococcus faecalis co-cultured with oral cancer cells exhibits higher virulence and promotes cancer cell survival, proliferation, and migration: an in vitro study

Introduction. Enterococcus faecalis is a common pathogen associated with many oral diseases and is often isolated from oral cancer patients. However, limited information is available on its key virulence gene expression in oral cancer cell microenvironment and cancer cell behaviour in co-culture studies.Hypothesis. E. faecalis overexpresses virulence genes when co-cultured with oral cancer cells and possibly alters the tumour microenvironment, promoting oral cancer proliferation and survival.Aim. To investigate altered virulence gene expression in E. faecalis and oral cancer cell behaviour using in vitro co-culture experiments.Methodology. Cal27 cells were co-cultured with E. faecalis and assessed for their cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and clonogenicity using standard cell culture assays. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines, along with proliferative, angiogenic and apoptotic biomarker expressions, were also assessed. E. faecalis adherence to cancer cells was demonstrated by the gentamicin protection assay. Real time-PCR was used to analyse the expression of virulence genes.Results. Co-culture of Cal27 cells with E. faecalis showed significantly higher cell proliferation, migration and clonogenicity compared to the control (P<0.01). A significant increase in the levels of ROS and inflammatory cytokines and overexpression of Ki67, vascular endothelial growth factor, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, phosphoinositide 3 kinase and Akt was observed in the co-culture group. E. faecalis also downregulated p53 and Bax genes while upregulated Bcl-2. The virulence genes GelE, Asa and Ace were overexpressed in E. faecalis co-cultured with Cal27 cells.Conclusion. The results from this study indicate the possible risks of E. faecalis infection in oral cancer. An effective antibiotic strategy against E. faecalis to prevent complications associated with oral diseases, including cancer, is needed.

Causal links between circulatory inflammatory cytokines and risk of digestive polyps: a Mendelian randomization analysis

Background

There is a high morbidity of polyps in the digestive tract, and certain subtypes of polyps are thought to induce cancer progression and often recur, which may be associated with chronic inflammation. Mendelian randomization (MR) can help identify potential causative relationships and inform early treatment action.

Methods

We performed a bidirectional two-sample MR analysis implementing the results from genome-wide association studies for 41 serum cytokines from 8,293 Finnish individuals, and three types of polyps from European ancestry, respectively, including gastric polyp (6,155 cases vs. 341,871 controls), colonic polyp (22,049 cases vs. 332,368 controls) and gallbladder polyp (458 cases vs. 340,083 controls). Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weight median (WM), and MR-Egger methods were used for calculating causal estimates. Furthermore, Bayesian model averaging MR (MR-BMA) method was employed to detect the dominant causal circulatory cytokines with adjustment for pleiotropy effects.

Results

Our univariable MR using inverse-variance weight method identified causal associations of IL-2ra (OR: 0.892, 95%CI: 0.828-0.961, p = 0.003), MIG (OR: 1.124, 95%CI: 1.046-1.207, p = 0.001) and IL-18 (OR: 0.912, 95%CI: 0.852-0.977, p = 0.008) with gastric polyp, MIP1b (OR: 0.956, 95%CI: 0.927-0.987, p = 0.005) and IL-6 (OR: 0.931, 95%CI: 0.870-0.995, p = 0.035) with colonic polyp and IL-9 (OR: 0.523, 95%CI: 0.345-0.794, p = 0.0007) with gallbladder polyp. Finally, our MR-BMA analysis prioritized MIG (MIP = 0.332, MACE = 0.022; PP: 0.264, MSCE = 0.059), IL-18 (MIP = 0.302, MACE = -0.020; PP: 0.243, MSCE = -0.059) and IL-2ra (MIP: 0.129; MACE: -0.005; PP: 0.112, MSCE: -0.031) for gastric polyp, and MIP1b (MIP = 0.752, MACE = -0.033; PP: 0.665, MSCE = -0.044) and IL-6 (MIP: 0.196; MACE: -0.012; PP: 0.140, MSCE: -0.064) for colonic polyp, and IL-9 (MIP = 0.936, MACE = -0.446; PP: 0.781, MSCE = -0.478) for gallbladder polyp as the top-ranked protective factors.

Conclusion

Our research advances the current understanding of the function of certain inflammatory biomarker pathways in the genesis and malignant mutation of polyps in the digestive tract. Deeper substantiation is necessary to assess the potential of these cytokines as pharmacological or lifestyle targets for digestive polyps prevention.

An Overview of the Spices Used for the Prevention and Potential Treatment of Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) ranks third in terms of cancer-related deaths and is the fifth most commonly diagnosed type of cancer. Its risk factors include Helicobacter pylori infection, Epstein-Barr virus infection, the consumption of broiled and charbroiled animal meats, salt-preserved and smoke-enhanced foods, alcohol drinking, tobacco smoking, exposure to ionizing radiation, and positive family history. The limited effectiveness of conventional therapies and the widespread risk factors of GC encourage the search for new methods of treatment and prevention. In the quest for cheap and commonly available medications, numerous studies focus on herbal medicine, traditional brews, and spices. In this review, we outline the potential use of spices, including turmeric, ginger, garlic, black cumin, chili pepper, saffron, black pepper, rosemary, galangal, coriander, wasabi, cinnamon, oregano, cardamom, fenugreek, caraway, clove, dill, thyme, Piper sarmentosum, basil, as well as the compounds they contain, in the prevention and treatment of GC. We present the potential molecular mechanisms responsible for the effectivity of a given seasoning substance and their impact on GC cells. We discuss their potential effects on proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. For most of the spices discussed, we also outline the unavailability and side effects of their use.

Differential cytokine expression in gastric tissues highlights helicobacter pylori's role in gastritis

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), known for causing gastric inflammation, gastritis and gastric cancer, prompted our study to investigate the differential expression of cytokines in gastric tissues, which is crucial for understanding H. pylori infection and its potential progression to gastric cancer. Focusing on Il-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α, we analysed gene and protein levels to differentiate between H. pylori-infected and non-infected gastritis. We utilised real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for gene quantification, immunohistochemical staining, and ELISA for protein measurement. Gastric samples from patients with gastritis were divided into three groups: (1) non-gastritis (N-group) group, (2) gastritis without H. pylori infection (G-group), and (3) gastritis with H. pylori infection (GH-group), each consisting of 8 samples. Our findings revealed a statistically significant variation in cytokine expression. Generally, cytokine levels were higher in gastritis, but in H. pylori-infected gastritis, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were lower compared to H. pylori-independent gastritis, while IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α levels were higher. This distinct cytokine expression pattern in H. pylori-infected gastritis underscores a unique inflammatory response, providing deeper insights into its pathogenesis.

Oral immunotherapy for Helicobacter pylori: Can it be trusted? A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a rod-shaped, gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium that can be identified by gram staining. Its relationship with cancer is significant since it is involved in approximately 80% of gastric cancers and 5.5% of all malignant cancers. Two lines of treatment have been defined for H. pylori, but almost 40% of patients do not respond to the first line. Recent trials have investigated oral Immunotherapy as a new treatment method. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the potential effects of oral Immunotherapy on eradication rate of H. pylori in human studies.

METHODS

The systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched online databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI). Our search strategy was limited to English articles and studies on human populations that use oral immunotherapy for H. pylori.

RESULTS

The total number of primary research records in different databases was 2775. After removing duplicate articles (n = 870), we excluded 1829 for reasons including non-human studies, irrelevance to our study objective, non-English language, or lack of information. Of the remaining 76 articles, only seven had sufficient information, and the rest were excluded. The studies were divided into two groups: those that used bovine antibody and those that used immunoglobulin Y to eradicate H. pylori.

CONCLUSION

In the group of Immunoglobulin Y, three out of four studies suggest that using Immunoglobulin Y for the treatment of H. pylori infection is significant. However, the group using bovine antibody for the treatment of H. pylori infection has various results, as two out of three studies concluded that bovine antibody therapy is not significant.

Helicobacter pylori upregulates circPGD and promotes development of gastric cancer

PURPOSE

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has unique biochemical traits and pathogenic mechanisms, which make it a substantial cause of gastrointestinal cancers. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have concurrently been identified as an important participating factor in the pathophysiology of several different cancers. However, the underlying processes and putative interactions between H. pylori and circRNAs have received very little attention. To address this issue, we explored the interaction between H. pylori and circRNAs to investigate how they might jointly contribute to the occurrence and development of gastric cancer.

METHODS

Changes in circPGD expression in H. pylori were detected using qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation and migration changes were assayed by colony formation, the CCK-8 assay and the transwell assay. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Western blot was conducted to detect changes in cell migration, apoptosis, proliferation and inflammation-associated proteins. QRT-PCR was used to measure changes in circPGD and inflammation-associated factors.

RESULTS

We found that H. pylori induced increased circPGD expression in infected human cells and facilitated gastric cancer progression in three ways by promoting cell proliferation and migration, enhancing the inflammatory response, and inhibiting apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

CircPGD appears to play a role in H. pylori-related gastric cancer and may thus be a viable, novel target for therapeutic intervention.

Epigenetic modulation of cytokine expression in gastric cancer: influence on angiogenesis, metastasis and chemoresistance

Cytokines are proteins that act in the immune response and inflammation and have been associated with the development of some types of cancer, such as gastric cancer (GC). GC is a malignant neoplasm that ranks fifth in incidence and third in cancer-related mortality worldwide, making it a major public health issue. Recent studies have focused on the role these cytokines may play in GC associated with angiogenesis, metastasis, and chemoresistance, which are key factors that can affect carcinogenesis and tumor progression, quality, and patient survival. These inflammatory mediators can be regulated by epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone protein modification, and non-coding RNA, which results in the silencing or overexpression of key genes in GC, presenting different targets of action, either direct or mediated by modifications in key genes of cytokine-related signaling pathways. This review seeks insight into the relationship between cytokine-associated epigenetic regulation and its potential effects on the different stages of development and chemoresistance in GC.

Gastric coinfection with thiopeptide-positive Cutibacterium acnes decreases FOXM1 and pro-inflammatory biomarker expression in a murine model of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer

IMPORTANCE

H. pylori infects half of the world population and is the leading cause of gastric cancer. We previously demonstrated that gastric cancer risk is associated with gastric microbiota. Specifically, gastric urease-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus salivarius had contrasting effects on H. pylori-associated gastric pathology and immune responses in germ-free INS-GAS mice. As gastritis progresses to gastric cancer, the oncogenic transcription factor Foxm1 becomes increasingly expressed. In this study, we evaluated the gastric commensal C. acnes, certain strains of which produce thiopeptides that directly inhibit FOXM1. Thiopeptide-positive C. acnes was isolated from Nicaraguan patient gastric biopsies and inoculated into germ-free INS-GAS mice with H. pylori. We, therefore, asked whether coinfection with C. acnes expressing thiopeptide and H. pylori would decrease gastric Foxm1 expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA and protein levels. Our study supports the growing literature that specific non-H. pylori gastric bacteria affect inflammatory and cancer biomarkers in H. pylori pathogenesis.

Reactive Oxygen Species and H. pylori Infection: A Comprehensive Review of Their Roles in Gastric Cancer Development

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and makes up a significant component of the global cancer burden. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most influential risk factor for GC, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifying it as a Class I carcinogen for GC. H. pylori has been shown to persist in stomach acid for decades, causing damage to the stomach's mucosal lining, altering gastric hormone release patterns, and potentially altering gastric function. Epidemiological studies have shown that eliminating H. pylori reduces metachronous cancer. Evidence shows that various molecular alterations are present in gastric cancer and precancerous lesions associated with an H. pylori infection. However, although H. pylori can cause oxidative stress-induced gastric cancer, with antioxidants potentially being a treatment for GC, the exact mechanism underlying GC etiology is not fully understood. This review provides an overview of recent research exploring the pathophysiology of H. pylori-induced oxidative stress that can cause cancer and the antioxidant supplements that can reduce or even eliminate GC occurrence.