The tibetan medicine Zuozhu-Daxi can prevent Helicobacter pylori induced-gastric mucosa inflammation by inhibiting lipid metabolism

Abstract

Background Tibetan medicine has been used in clinical practice for more than 3800 years. Zuozhu-Daxi (ZZDX), a classic traditional Tibetan medicine, has been proved to be effective in the treatment of digestive diseases, such as chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, etc. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), one of the most common pathogenic microbes, is regarded as the most common cause of gastritis. Researching on the effects of ZZDX on H. pylori-induced gastric mucosa inflammation could provide more evidences on H. pylori treatment and promote the development of Tibetan medicine. This study aimed to explore whether ZZDX could rescue H. pylori-induced gastric mucosa inflammation and its mechanism. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were infected with H. pylori, and orally treated with ZZDX to rescue gastric mucosa inflammation induced by H. pylori infection. Pathology of gastric mucosa inflammation was evaluated under microscopy by hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining. The infection status of H. pylori was evaluated by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in serum was evaluated using a detection kit. IL-1α, IL-6, and PGE2 expression levels in serum were measured using ELISA. IL-1α, IL-8, TNF-α, and NOD1 expression levels in gastric tissues were measured using real-time PCR. RNA sequencing and gene certification of interest were performed to explore the mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. Results The results showed that ZZDX could significantly inhibit H. pylori-induced gastric mucosa inflammation using HE staining. IL-1α, IL-6, and PGE2 expression levels in serum were significantly decreased after treatment with ZZDX. ZZDX treatment significantly decreased the mRNA expression of IL-8 induced by H. pylori infection in gastric tissues. Elovl4, Acot1 and Scd1 might be involved in the mechanisms of ZZDX treatment. However, the H. pylori infection status in the gastric mucosa was not reduced after ZZDX treatment. Conclusions ZZDX reversed gastric mucosal injury and alleviated gastric mucosa inflammation induced by H. pylori infection.

Abdominal pain caused by Tibetan medicine: A case report of lead poisoning

“…Notably, before she was diagnosed with lead poisoning in our hospital, the patient had gone to several hospitals and was administered Zuozhu-Daxi Tibetan medicine to relieve her abdominal pain. As a classic traditional Tibetan medicine, Zuozhu-Daxi Tibetan medicine has been widely used for the treatment of digestive diseases, including peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis, and gastric cancer [ 10 ]. Despite all these clinical effects, Tibetan medicine is generally high in heavy metals, which poses a certain safety hazard to patients.…”

“…In China, cases of lead poisoning have been reported occasionally nowadays [ 5 ]. Tibetan medicine has been widely used in clinical treatments of chronic diseases, such as digestive system disease, nervous system diseases, cancer therapy and other diseases [ [6] , [7] , [8] ], especially for people in Tibetan areas, which is a valuable medical treasure. But the adverse effects of Tibetan medicine are often overlooked.…”