Effects of Rumex Chalepensis Extract Regulating Wnt/β-catenin Pathway on Mucosal Repair and Pyroptosis in Gastric Ulcer Rats

WANG Xuemei; ZHOU Xun; LIU Chong

doi:10.13730/j.issn.2097-2148.2025.11.001

Abstract：Objective To study the effects of Rumex chalepensis extract(Rch)on mucosal repair and pyroptosis in rats with gastric ulcer,and explore the pharmacological mechanism of Rch on gastric ulcer rats based on wingless-type MMTV integration site family(Wnt)/β-catenin pathway.Methods Among 63 rats,10 rats were reserved for the control group by the random number table method,and the remaining 53 rats were used to establish gastric ulcer models by the method of acetic acid burning,finally,50 rats were successfully modeled and divided into gastric ulcer group,Rch-L group,Rch-M group,Rch-H group and positive control group according to the random number table method,with 10 rats in each.Rats in the Rch-L group,Rch-M group and Rch-H group were respectively given Rch by gavage at doses of 200,400 and 800 mg/kg,rats in the positive control group were administered omeprazole at a dose of 20 mg/kg by ga-vage,rats in both the control and gastric ulcer groups were administered an equivalent volume of normal saline by gavage.All drug interventions were administered once a day for 28 consecutive days.The ulcer area and healing rate of gastric mucosa were measured and calculated;serum levels of interleukin 1 beta(IL-1β),tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),IL-10,IL-17,IL-18 and IL-23,and the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA),epidermal growth factor(EGF),nitric oxide(NO)and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)in gastric mucosal tissues were measured by en-zyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);pathological changes of gastric mucosa were examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining;the mRNA levels of Wnt5a and β-catenin in gastric mucosa were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR);the expression of nod-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)and cysteine aspartase 1(Caspase-1),gas-dermin D(GSDMD),Wnt5a and β-catenin protein levels in gastric mucosa was detected by Western blot.Results ① Compared with control group,the ulcer area significantly increased in the gastric ulcer group(P＜0.05);compared with the gastric ulcer group,the ulcer area significantly decreased and the ulcer healing rate significantly increased in the Rch-L,Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-L group,the ulcer area significantly decreased and the ulcer healing rate significantly increased in the Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);com-pared with the Rch-M group,the ulcer area significantly decreased and the ulcer healing rate significantly increased in the Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05).② Compared with the control group,the serum levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-17,IL-18 and IL-23 significantly increased,while the level of IL-10 significantly decreased in the gastric ulcer group(all P＜0.05);compared with the gastric ulcer group,the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-17,IL-18 and IL-23 signifi-cantly decreased,while the level of IL-10 significantly increased in the Rch-L,Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-L group,the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-17,IL-18 and IL-23 significantly de-creased,while the level of IL-10 significantly increased in the Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-M group,the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-17,IL-18 and IL-23 significantly decreased,while the level of IL-10 significantly increased in the Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-H group,the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-17,IL-18 and IL-23 significantly increased,while the level of IL-10 significantly decreased in the positive control group(all P＜0.05).③ Compared with the control group,the MDA level significantly increased,while the levels of SOD,EGF,NO and PGE2 in the gastric mucosa significantly decreased in the gastric ulcer group(all P＜0.05);compared with the gastric ulcer group,the MDA level significantly decreased,while the levels of SOD,EGF,NO and PGE2 significantly increased in the Rch-L,Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-L group,the MDA level significantly decreased,while the levels of SOD,EGF,NO and PGE2 significantly increased in the Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-M group,the levels of SOD,EGF,NO and PGE2 significantly increased in the Rch-H and positive control groups,further-more,the MDA level significantly decreased in the Rch-H group but significantly increased in the positive control group(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-H group,the MDA level significantly increased,while the levels of SOD,EGF,NO and PGE2 significantly decreased in the positive control group(all P＜0.05).④ Gastric mucosal cells in the control group were arranged orderly with intact glands and no pathological changes;compared with the control group,the gastric mucosal cells were arranged sparsely with disrupted glandular architecture,accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration and necrosis in the gastric ulcer group;compared with the gastric ulcer group,the gastric mucosal cells were arranged more orderly,inflammatory cell infiltration was alleviated,and gastric pathology was markedly improved in the Rch-L,Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups.⑤ Compared with the control group,the mRNA levels of Wnt5a and β-cate-nin of the gastric mucosa significantly increased in the gastric ulcer group(all P＜0.05);compared with the gastric ulcer group,the mRNA levels of Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly decreased in the Rch-L,Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-L group,the mRNA levels of Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly decreased in the Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-M group,the mRNA levels of Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly decreased in the Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-H group,the mRNA levels of Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly increased in the positive control group(all P＜0.05).⑥ Compared with the control group,the protein levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,Wnt5a and β-catenin of the gastric mucosa significantly increased in the gastric ulcer group(all P＜0.05);compared with the gastric ulcer group,the protein levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly decreased in the Rch-L,Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-L group,the protein levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly decreased in the Rch-M,Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-M group,the protein levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,Wnt5a and β-catenin sig-nificantly decreased in the Rch-H and positive control groups(all P＜0.05);compared with the Rch-H group,the protein levels of NLRP3,Cas pase-1,GSDMD,Wnt5a and β-catenin significantly increased in the positive control group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Rch can significantly reduce the systemic inflammation level in rats with gastric ulcer,inhibit oxida-tive stress damage of the gastric mucosa in rats,repair pathological changes of the gastric mucosa,and inhibit pyroptosis of gastric mucosal cells,its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.