Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced small bowel injury is a topic that deserves attention since the advent of capsule endoscopy and balloon enteroscopy. NSAID enteropathy is common and is mostly asymptomatic. However, massive bleeding, stricture, or perforation may occur. The pathogenesis of small intestine injury by NSAIDs is complex and different from that of the upper gastrointestinal tract. No drug has yet been developed that can completely prevent or treat NSAID enteropathy. Therefore, a long-term randomized study in chronic NSAID users is needed.
Although coffee is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties, there have been few reports about the effect and mechanism of coffee compounds in colorectal cancer. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that prevent cell death. Their expression is significantly elevated in many tumors and is accompanied by increased cell proliferation, metastasis and poor response to chemotherapy. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of four bioactive compounds in coffee, namely, caffeine, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and kahweol, in HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Only kahweol showed significant cytotoxicity. Specifically, kahweol increased the expression of caspase-3, a pro-apoptotic factor, and decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic factors, such as Bcl-2 and phosphorylated Akt. In addition, kahweol significantly attenuated the expression of HSP70. Inhibition of HSP70 activity with triptolide increased kahweol-induced cytotoxicity. In contrast, overexpression of HSP70 significantly reduced kahweol-induced cell death. Taken together, these results demonstrate that kahweol inhibits colorectal tumor cell growth by promoting apoptosis and suppressing HSP70 expression.
Background and aim
Various drugs have been developed for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but still there are limitations in the treatment due to the insufficient responses and significant adverse effects of immunosuppressant. Apocynin is an NADPH-oxidase inhibitor with established safety profiles. We aimed to investigate the protective efficacy of apocynin in IBD using chemical-induced mouse colitis model.
Method
We induced experimental colitis by administrating 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to 8-week old BALB/c mouse for 11 days. Apocynin (400 mg/kg) or sulfasalazine (150 mg/kg) were administeredduring7 days. We monitored bodyweight daily and harvested colon and spleen at day 11 to check weight and length. We also examined histopathologic change and pro-, anti-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes from harvested colons (iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, MCP-1, p-NrF2, and HO-1).
Result
Apocynin significantly alleviated weight reduction induced by DSS treatment (21.64 ± 0.55 for Apocynin group vs. 20.33 ± 0.90 for DSS group,
p
= 0.005). Anti-inflammatory efficacy of apocynin was also shown by the recovery of colon weight and length. Histopathologic examination revealed significantly reduced inflammatory foci and erosions by apocynin treatment. Colonic expression of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and MCP-1 was decreased significantly in the apocynin treated group. Anti-inflammatory mediators Nrf2 and HO-1 were activated significantly in apocynin treated mouse.
Conclusion
Apocynin showed significant anti-inflammatory efficacy against chemically induced colonic inflammation. This study also revealed the unique action of apocynin compared to the currently prescribed drug, sulfasalazine. Given its excellent safety profile and potent efficacy with novel action mechanism, apocynin can be a new therapeutic molecule for the IBD treatment, which can be added to the currently available drugs.
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