Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 14, 2014; 20(6): 1614-1622
Published online Feb 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i6.1614
Protective role of hydrogen-rich water on aspirin-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats
Jing-Yao Zhang, Qi-Fei Wu, Yong Wan, Si-Dong Song, Jia Xu, Xin-Sen Xu, Hu-Lin Chang, Ming-Hui Tai, Ya-Feng Dong, Chang Liu
Jing-Yao Zhang, Yong Wan, Si-Dong Song, Jia Xu, Xin-Sen Xu, Hu-Lin Chang, Ming-Hui Tai, Chang Liu, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China
Qi-Fei Wu, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China
Ming-Hui Tai, Ya-Feng Dong, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas, KS 66160, United States
Author contributions: Zhang JY and Wu QF contributed equally to this work, who designed the research and wrote the paper; Wan Y contributed to the preparation of the paper and literature search; Song SD contributed to research design; Xu J participated in research design and revised the paper; Xu XS and Chang HL performed literature search; Tai MH performed data analysis; Dong YF advised in research design and data analysis; and Liu C advised in research design and implementation.
Correspondence to: Chang Liu, MD, PHD, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, 277 West Yanta Road, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China. liuchangdoctor@163.com
Telephone: +86-29-82653900 Fax: +86-29-82653905
Received: September 1, 2013
Revised: October 24, 2013
Accepted: December 5, 2013
Published online: February 14, 2014
Processing time: 168 Days and 21.4 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the role of the hydrogen-rich water (HRW) in the prevention of aspirin-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats.

METHODS: Forty male rats were allocated into four groups: normal control group, HRW group, aspirin group, and HRW plus aspirin group. The protective efficacy was tested by determining the gastric mucosal damage score. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin (IL)-06 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in gastric tissues were evaluated. The serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were also detected. Histopathology of gastric tissues and localization of Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) were detected using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

RESULTS: Pretreatment with HRW obviously reduced aspirin-induced gastric damage scores (4.04 ± 0.492 vs 2.10 ± 0.437, P < 0.05). The oxidative stress levels of MDA and MPO in the gastric tissues increased significantly in the aspirin-treated group compared with the HRW group (2.43 ± 0.145 vs 1.79 ± 0.116 nmol/mg prot, P < 0.05 and 2.53 ± 0.238 vs 1.40 ± 0.208 U/g tissue, P < 0.05, respectively). HRW could obviously elevated the SOD levels in the gastric tissues (37.94 ± 8.44 vs 59.55 ± 9.02 nmol/mg prot, P < 0.05). Pretreatment with HRW significantly reduced IL-06 and TNF-α in the gastric tissues (46.65 ± 5.50 vs 32.15 ± 4.83 pg/mg, P < 0.05 and 1305.08 ± 101.23 vs 855.96 ± 93.22 pg/mg, P < 0.05), and IL-1β and TNF-α in the serum (505.38 ± 32.97 vs 343.37 ± 25.09 pg/mL, P < 0.05 and 264.53 ± 28.63 vs 114.96 ± 21.79 pg/mL, P < 0.05) compared to treatment with aspirin alone. HRW could significantly decrease the COX-2 expression in the gastric tissues (staining score: 8.4 ± 2.1 vs 2.9 ± 1.5, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: HRW pretreatment alleviated the aspirin-induced gastric lesions by inhibiting the oxidative stress, inflammatory reaction and reducing the COX-2 in the gastric tissues.

Keywords: Hydrogen; Aspirin; Gastric lesion; Oxidative stress; Cytokines; Cyclooxygenase 2

Core tip: Aspirin is one of the most widely used medicines, but can cause adverse side effects of gastric injury. Hydrogen has been found to have powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the protective role of hydrogen-rich water on aspirin-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. We found that hydrogen could alleviate the aspirin-induced gastric lesions by inhibiting the oxidative stress, inflammatory reaction and reducing the Cyclooxygenase 2 in the gastric tissues. This may provide a potential therapy for the adverse effects of aspirin.