Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic or recurrent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Even though the current strategies to treat IBD include anti-inflammatory drugs and immune modulators, these treatments have side-effects. New strategies are, therefore, required to overcome the limitations of the therapies. In this study, we investigated the anti-colitic effects of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), which is an active ingredient present in Wasabia japonica. The DSS-induced colitis model in the mouse was used to mimic human IBD and we observed that AITC treatment ameliorated the severity of colitis. We further studied the mechanism involved to ameliorate the colitis. To investigate the involvement of AITC on the intestinal barrier function, the effect on the intercellular tight junction was evaluated in the Caco-2 cell line while mucin expression was assessed in the LS174T cell line. AITC positively regulated tight junction proteins and mucin 2 (MUC2) against DSS-induced damage or depletion. Our data of in vivo studies were also consistent with the in vitro results. Furthermore, we observed that MUC2 increased by AITC is dependent on ERK signaling. In conclusion, we propose that AITC can be considered as a new strategy for treating IBD by modulating tight junction proteins and mucin.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most frequently prescribed analgesic and anti-pyretic drugs. However, APAP-induced hepatotoxicity is a major cause of acute liver failure globally. While the therapeutic dose is safe, an overdose of APAP produces an excess of the toxic metabolite N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI), subsequently resulting in hepatotoxicity. Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a bioactive molecule in cruciferous plants, is reported to exert various biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial effects. Notably, AITC is known for activating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), but there is limited evidence supporting the beneficial effects on hepatocytes and liver, where AITC is mainly metabolized. We applied a mouse model in the current study to investigate whether AITC protects the liver against APAP-induced injury, wherein we observed the protective effects of AITC. Furthermore, NRF2 nuclear translocation and the increase of target genes by AITC treatment were confirmed by in vitro experiments. APAP-induced cell damage was attenuated by AITC via an NRF2-dependent manner, and rapid NRF2 activation by AITC was attributed to the elevation of NRF2 stability by decreasing its spontaneous degradation. Moreover, liver tissues from our mouse experiment revealed that AITC increases the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an NRF2 target gene, confirming the potential of AITC as a hepatoprotective agent that induces NRF2 activation. Taken together, our results indicate the potential of AITC as a natural-product-derived NRF2 activator targeting the liver.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are well-known for exerting numerous adverse effects on the gastrointestinal tract such as bleeding, ulceration, and perforation, thereby limiting their use. Most previous studies have focused on NSAID-induced gastropathy. However, improved diagnostic techniques have recently highlighted NSAID-induced small intestinal ulcers, which have so far been underestimated. While proton pump inhibitors are prescribed to control NSAID-induced gastropathy, few preventive strategies are existent for NSAID-induced small intestinal injury, thus requiring new methods to treat these enteropathies. Numerous studies have reported the beneficial biological effects of Aloe vera, such as wound healing, anti-cancer, immune modulation, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and gastroprotective effects. A previous report on the effect of Aloe vera against NSAID-induced ulcers studied only gastric ulcers and elucidated the results as an anti-inflammatory effect of Aloe vera. However, ulcer prevention cannot be justified entirely to be due to the anti-inflammatory effects of Aloe vera, since NSAIDs themselves also exert an anti-inflammatory reaction. We therefore investigated the anti-ulcer effects of Aloe vera on the small intestine, especially focusing on mucin expression. Our results indicate that processed Aloe vera gel (PAG) treatment attenuates not only the severity of intestinal ulcers but also bacterial translocation, by enhancing the mucus layer in the indomethacin-induced small intestinal damage mouse model. We further confirmed that PAG positively regulates the mucin expression in the LS174T human cell line, mainly via the ERK-dependent pathway. We propose that PAG application is a potential strategy for the alleviation of NSAID-induced small intestinal ulcers.

Leaky gut is a condition of increased paracellular permeability of the intestine due to compromised tight junction barriers. In recent years, this affliction has drawn the attention of scientists from different fields, as a myriad of studies prosecuted it to be the silent culprit of various immune diseases. Due to various controversies surrounding its culpability in the clinic, approaches to leaky gut are restricted in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding irritating factors, and practicing alternative medicine, including the consumption of supplements. In the current study, we investigate the tight junction-modulating effects of processed Aloe vera gel (PAG), comprising 5–400-kD polysaccharides as the main components. Our results show that oral treatment of 143 mg/kg PAG daily for 10 days improves the age-related leaky gut condition in old mice, by reducing their individual urinal lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio. In concordance with in vivo experiments, PAG treatment at dose 400 μg/mL accelerated the polarization process of Caco-2 monolayers. The underlying mechanism was attributed to enhancement in the expression of intestinal tight junction-associated scaffold protein zonula occludens (ZO)-1 at the translation level. This was induced by activation of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, which inhibits the translation repressor 4E-BP1. In conclusion, we propose that consuming PAG as a complementary food has the potential to benefit high-risk patients.

Min Woo Kim, Kyu Sik Jeong, Jin Kim, Seul-Gi Lee, C-Yoon Kim, Hyung Min Chung. IJSC -0001;0:. https://doi.org/10.15283/ijsc24084

색온도와 조도가 고령자 심리에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구 의 이용 수, 등재여부, 발행기관, 저자, 초록, 목차, 참고문헌 등 논문에 관한 다양한 정보 및 관련논문 목록과 논문의 분야별 BEST, NEW 논문 목록을 확인 하실 수 있습니다.