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Effects of Weipixiao (胃痞消) on Wnt pathway-associated proteins in gastric mucosal epithelial cells from rats with gastric precancerous lesions

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Abstract

Objective

To study the effects of Weipixiao (胃痞消, WPX) on Wnt pathway-associated proteins in gastric mucosal epithelial cells from rats with gastric precancerous lesions (GPL).

Methods

Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, model, vitacoenzyme (0.2 g·kg−1·day−1), WPX high-dose (H-WPX, 15 g·kg−1·day−1), WPX medium-dose (M-WPX, 7.5 g·kg−1·day−1) and WPX low-dose (L-WPX, 3.75 g·kg−1·day−1) groups. After successfully establishing the GPL model, the rats were consecutively administered WPX or vitacoenzyme by gastrogavage for 10 weeks. Differential expression of Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-proteincoupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), Wnt1, Wnt3a, and β-catenin in gastric mucosal epithelial cells in all groups were immunohistochemically detected, and the images were taken and analyzed semiquantitatively by image pro plus 6.0 software.

Results

Gastric epithelium in the model group showed significantly higher expression levels of Lgr5, MMP-7, Wnt1, Wnt3a and β-catenin than those of the control group(P<0.01). Interestingly, we also observed Lgr5+ cells, which generally located at the base of the gastric glandular unit, migrated to the luminal side of gastric epithelium with GPL. The expression levels of Lgr5, MMP-7, Wnt1, and β-catenin were all down-regulated in the L-WPX group as compared with those of both model and vitacoenzyme groups (P<0.05). A similar, but nonsignificant down-regulation in expression level of Wnt3a was noted in all WPX groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion

Our findings suggested that the therapeutic mechanisms of WPX in treating GPL might be related with its inhibitory effects on the expressions of Lgr5, MMP-7, Wnt1, β-catenin and the aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, China

    Jin-hao Zeng  (曾进浩), Hua-feng Pan  (潘华峰), You-zhang Liu  (刘友章), Hai-wen Li  (李海文), Jin-ling Ren  (任金玲), Long-hui Chen  (陈龙辉), Xia Hu  (胡 霞) & Yan Yan  (严 艳)

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China

    Hai-bo Xu  (徐海波)

  3. Guangdong Provincial Institute of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510095, China

    Zi-ming Zhao  (赵自明)

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  1. Jin-hao Zeng  (曾进浩)
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Correspondence to Hua-feng Pan  (潘华峰).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81273739)

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Zeng, Jh., Pan, Hf., Liu, Yz. et al. Effects of Weipixiao (胃痞消) on Wnt pathway-associated proteins in gastric mucosal epithelial cells from rats with gastric precancerous lesions. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 22, 267–275 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-015-2131-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-015-2131-4

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