Capsaicin Inhibits Inflammation and Gastric Damage during <i>H pylori</i> Infection by Targeting NF-kB–miRNA Axis

<i>Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)</i> infection is considered as one of the strongest risk factors for gastric disorders. Infection triggers several host pathways to elicit inflammation, which further proceeds towards gastric complications. The NF-kB pathway plays a central role in the...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kalyani Saha, Deotima Sarkar, Uzma Khan, Bipul Chandra Karmakar, Sangita Paul, Asish K. Mukhopadhyay, Shanta Dutta, Sushmita Bhattacharya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Pathogens
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/6/641
Description
Summary:<i>Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)</i> infection is considered as one of the strongest risk factors for gastric disorders. Infection triggers several host pathways to elicit inflammation, which further proceeds towards gastric complications. The NF-kB pathway plays a central role in the upregulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines during infection. It also regulates the transcriptional network of several inflammatory cytokine genes. Hence, targeting NF-kB could be an important strategy to reduce pathogenesis. Moreover, treatment of <i>H. pylori</i> needs attention as current therapeutics lack efficacy due to antibiotic resistance, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic approaches. In this study, we investigated the effects of capsaicin, a known NF-kB inhibitor in reducing inflammation and gastric complications during <i>H. pylori</i> infection. We observed that capsaicin reduced NF-kB activation and upregulation of cytokine genes in an in vivo mice model. Moreover, it affected NF-kB–miRNA interplay to repress inflammation and gastric damages. Capsaicin reduced the expression level of mir21 and mir223 along with the pro-inflammatory cytokines. The repression of miRNA further affected downstream targets such as e-cadherin and Akt. Our data represent the first evidence that treatment with capsaicin inhibits inflammation and induces antimicrobial activity during <i>H. pylori</i> infection. This alternative approach might open a new avenue in treating <i>H. pylori</i> infection, thus reducing gastric problems.
ISSN:2076-0817