article · Redox Report
Gastric ulcers are widespread digestive disorders that can cause severe complications such as internal bleeding and tissue perforation. Genistein, a flavonoid derived from legumes with recognised antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, was evaluated for its potential to protect against stomach ulcers in a rat model. Ulcers were induced in laboratory rats using indomethacin, followed by oral treatment with genistein. Microscopic examination showed that indomethacin caused notable degeneration of gastric surface cells and glandular epithelial cells, but genistein administration alleviated this cellular damage. Furthermore, genistein significantly reduced the expression of several markers associated with tissue fibrosis and cellular signalling, specifically Wnt, beta-catenin, transforming growth factor-beta, SMAD4, and protein kinase B. These results demonstrate that genistein helps heal experimentally induced ulcers in rats, partially by suppressing gastric tissue fibrosis through the modulation of these specific biological signalling pathways.
Gastric ulcers affect roughly ten percent of people globally and carry serious risks of bleeding and gastrointestinal perforation. Identifying how natural compounds like genistein operate at the cellular level helps researchers understand alternative therapeutic mechanisms. Demonstrating that genistein counteracts ulcer-related tissue fibrosis by modulating specific protein pathways provides a foundation for exploring targeted treatments for chronic digestive conditions.
This work represents early-stage preclinical research conducted in animal models. The findings could inform future pharmaceutical or nutraceutical development focused on flavonoid-based therapies for gastric ulcers and digestive fibrosis. Potential users include drug discovery teams and gastrointestinal therapeutics developers. However, because the study is limited to laboratory rats, clinical translation remains distant and will require extensive human testing, formulation development, and safety trials before practical use can be realised.
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OBJECTIVES: Gastric ulcer (GU) is a prevalent chronic digestive disease affecting about 10% of the world's population leading to gastrointestinal perforation and bleeding. Genistein is a legume flavonoid with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the ability of genistein to reduce experimentally induced GU in rats by affecting gastric tissue fibrosis Wnt/β-catenin/TGF-β/SMAD4 pathway. METHODS: Thirty rats were used. Ten rats served as control, and GU was induced in twenty rats using a single dose of indomethacin (80 mg/kg) orally. Following induction of GU, ten were treated with genistein 25 mg/kg orally. The gastric tissues were isolated to investigate markers of gastric fibrosis, Wnt, β-catenin, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, SMAD4, and Protein kinase B (PKB). In addition, gastric sections were stained with PAS and anti-TGF-β antibodies. RESULTS: Investigation GU micro-images revealed degeneration in both surface cells and glandular epithelial cells, which was improved by genistein. In addition, treatment with genistein significantly reduced the expression of Wnt, β-catenin, TGF-β, SMAD4, and PKB. CONCLUSION: Besides antioxidant activity, genistein improves experimentally induced GU in rats, at least in part, via reduction of gastric tissue fibrosis as indicated by reduction in expression of Wnt, β-catenin, TGF-β, SMAD4, and PKB.
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DOI: 10.1080/13510002.2023.2218679
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