Standardized Combined Plant Extract, RUG-com, Reduces Bacterial Levels and Suppresses Acute and Chronic Inflammation in Balb/c Mice Infected with CagA(+) Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori are etiological agents in the development of gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers, gastric cancer, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tumors. Our previous investigations demonstrated that standardized combined plants extracts (Rubus crataegifolius and Ulmus macrocarpa) inhibit the growth of H. pylori in in vitro experiments. Also, we demonstrated that Gardenia jasminoides is effective in preventing gastritis and gastric ulcers in animal experiments. In the present work, we tested the standardized combined three plant extract (RUG-com) on the mouse model of H. pylori infectious disease to examine the effects of RUG-com on both the prevention and curing on the stomachs of infected mice. After the final administrations, biopsy samples of gastric mucus were assayed for bacterial numbers, biochemical analysis, inflammatory scores, and histology. Treatment with standardized plants extracts, single or combined, reduced the H. pylori load compared with the control. Treatment also significantly (P<0.05) reduced both acute and chronic mucosal and subacute inflammation, and epithelial cell degeneration and erosion induced by H. pylori infection. Further investigations demonstrated that H. pylori-induced inflammation was decreased by RUG-com extracts via down regulating cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase pro-inflammatory gene expression. Our results suggest that RUG-com is useful to prevent H. pylori infection, H. pylori-induced inflammation and associated gastric damage.