A polysaccharide from Aloe vera L. var. chinensis (Haw.) Berger prevents damage to human gastric epithelial cells in vitro and to rat gastric mucosa in vivo

• APS-F1, a dietary glucogalactomannan polysaccharide, is prepared from Aloe vera L. var. chinensis (Haw.) Berger.
• APS-F1 protects human gastric epithelial cells from oxidative stress-induced cell apoptosis and injury.
• APS-F1 prevent H2O2-induced redox disturbance, an increase in [Ca2+]i and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential.
• Pretreating cells with APS-F1 lead to PGC-1α activation, HO-1 induction and suppression of NF-κB expression.
• APS-F1 ameliorates ethanol-induced gastric damage in rat.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in the aetiology of gastric disorders and are a key pathogenic feature in gastric mucosal injury. Interventions that eliminate ROS are of high clinical value in treating gastric diseases. Here, we demonstrate that APS-F1, a glucogalactomannan polysaccharide from Aloe vera L. var. chinensis (Haw.) Berger, protects against oxidative stress-induced gastric mucosal damage. Human gastric epithelial GES-1 cells were treated with APS-F1 before H2O2 exposure. APS-F1 markedly attenuated cell apoptosis and injury; prevented H2O2-induced redox disturbance manifested as increases in intracellular ROS and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level and decreases in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity; prevented H2O2-induced an increase in [Ca2+]i and mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, in association with PGC-1α activation, HO-1 induction and suppression of NF-κB expression. In vivo, APS-F1 ameliorated ethanol-induced gastric damage. Our findings provide the first evidence that APS-F1 protects against H2O2-induced gastric injury.