Anti-Helicobacter pylori effect of various extracts of ixeris chinensis on inflammatory markers in human gastric epithelial AGS cells

Ixeris chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai (Taiwan) is a traditional herbal medicine used for treating various ailments, such as stomach ache, common cold and diarrhoea. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-adhesive effect of I. chinensis on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced gastric adenocarcinoma in an AGS cell model. Three types of I. chinensis extract were used: boiling water extract (BWE), ethanol extract (EE) and chloroform extract (CE) to check anti-H. pylori activity on the AGS cell line. Phytochemical and HPLC analysis were performed. In vitro antioxidant activity, including TEAC, DPPH and H2O2 scavenging abilities, was evaluated. In addition, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined, and an MTT assay determined survival rate. Furthermore, interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured. The BWE showed better antioxidative activity than the EE and CE. The lag time of human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation was significantly increased by BWE, EE and CE. However, CE showed maximum antibacterial (MIC, MBC), anti-adhesive (urease test) and anti-inflammatory (IL-8, NO, TNF-α) activities. Based on the above findings, I. chinensis extract (BWE and CE) clearly shows antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-adhesive effects on H. pylori-induced gastric adenocarcinoma in the AGS cell model. Hence, I. chinensis might be used to combat against H. pylori-induced gastric cancer with standard chemotherapeutic agents.