Arecae pericarpium water extract alleviates chronic pancreatitis by deactivating pancreatic stellate cells

Abstract

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pancreas with irreversible morphological changes. Arecae pericarpium (ARP), known to improve gastrointestinal disorders, has not yet been reported to inhibit fibrosis in CP. Therefore, we investigated the beneficial effects of ARP on cerulein-induced CP. Cerulein (50 μg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally to mice every hour, six times a day, four times a week for a total of 3 weeks to induce CP. To ascertain the prophylactic effects of ARP, ARP water extract (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) or saline was administered intraperitoneally 1 h before the onset of CP. To determine the therapeutic effects of ARP, ARP water extract (200 mg/kg) or saline was administered for a total of 1 week or 2 weeks, starting 2 weeks or 1 week after the onset of CP. The pancreas was collected immediately for histological analysis. Additionally, to determine the effectiveness and mechanism of ARP in alleviating pancreatic fibrosis, pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) were isolated. ARP treatment considerably improved glandular atrophy and inflammation and repressed collagen deposition in the pancreas. Furthermore, ARP water extract inhibited extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents such as alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and fibronectin 1 (FN1) in pancreatic tissue and PSCs. ARP also suppressed transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling by inhibiting Smad2 phosphorylation. Our study suggests that ARP exhibits anti-fibrotic effects in cerulein-induced CP by inhibiting TGF-β/Smad signaling.

Comprehensive insights into areca nut: active components and omics technologies for bioactivity evaluation and quality control

“…These texts record various medicinal combinations involving AN, demonstrating its efficacy in treating conditions such as oppressive sensations in the chest, heartache, lower back pain, urinary and bowel irregularities, intestinal parasitism, athlete’s foot, and oral ulcers. Subsequent scholarly investigations into the pharmacological properties of AN extracts have revealed their antidepressant, antimicrobial, anti-aging, insecticidal, anti-osteoporotic, hepatoprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects ( Dar et al, 1997 ; Lee and Choi, 1999 ; Pithayanukul et al, 2009 ; Li et al, 2017 ; Jam et al, 2021 ; Sharaf et al, 2021 ; Kweon et al, 2022 ; Puyathorn et al, 2022 ). In a recent study, extracts from arecae semen demonstrated inhibitory effects on snake venom ( More et al, 2022 ).…”

Biological Effects and Biomedical Applications of Areca Nut and Its Extract

“…Administering ARP extract significantly improved glandular atrophy and inflammation in the pancreas, while also inhibiting collagen accumulation. The water extract from ARP exhibited the ability to impede the constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM), specifically targeting alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and fibronectin 1 (FN1) in both pancreatic tissue and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) [ 78 ]. Furthermore, the water extract from AN demonstrated a notable anti-inflammatory effect on carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice and rats [ 75 ].…”

Anti-Neuroinflammatory Effects of Arecae pericarpium on LPS-Stimulated BV2 Cells

“…The filtrate was stored at 4 • C until use. We previously reported that the aqueous AP extract contains approximately 0.604% of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 0.388% of (+)-catechin as bioactive compounds [19].…”