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Orengedokuto and berberine improve indomethacin-induced small intestinal injury via adenosine

  • Original Article—Alimentary Tract
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Abstract

Background

Recent endoscopic technology has revealed that small intestinal injury is a serious threat to patients receiving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We previously showed that Japanese herbal medicine, Orengedokuto (OGT; Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang in Chinese), protects mice from lethal indomethacin (IND)-induced enteropathy. To elucidate the mechanism of the protective effect of OGT, we performed microarray analyses and high power statistical analyses of microarray data using new bioinformatics tools.

Methods

Female BALB/c mice were subcutaneously injected with IND (20 mg/kg) once a day for 2 days. OGT-treated mice received a diet containing OGT from the first IND injection until the end of the experiment. Gene expression signals of small intestine were obtained with GeneChip®. Analyses for overrepresentation of Gene Ontology categories were conducted using MetaGene Profiler (MGP) and the changes were visualized by Cell Illustrator Online (CIO). Furthermore, active ingredients of OGT were investigated.

Results

MGP and CIO suggested a critical role for the adenosine system, especially adenosine deaminase (ADA), a key enzyme of adenosine catabolism. Quantitative real time RT-PCR and in situ hybridization showed that OGT decreased the expression of ADA, which possibly resulted in the elevation of the anti-inflammatory nucleoside adenosine. Blockade of the adenosine A2a receptor abrogated the protective effect of OGT. Berberine, a major ingredient of OGT, suppressed ADA expression and reduced the incidence of lethality.

Conclusions

OGT may prevent IND-induced enteropathy by decreasing ADA which results in the elevation of adenosine. Modulation of the adenosine system may be an efficient therapeutic strategy for NSAID-induced enteropathy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan

    Yoko Watanabe-Fukuda & Junzo Takeda

  2. Center for Kampo Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan

    Yoko Watanabe-Fukuda, Masahiro Yamamoto, Naoko Miura, Atsushi Ishige & Kenji Watanabe

  3. Tsumura Laboratory, Tsumura & Co., Ibaraki, 300-1192, Japan

    Masahiro Yamamoto, Naoko Miura & Masato Fukutake

  4. Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan

    Rui Yamaguchi, Masao Nagasaki, Ayumu Saito, Seiya Imoto & Satoru Miyano

Authors
  1. Yoko Watanabe-Fukuda
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  2. Masahiro Yamamoto
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  3. Naoko Miura
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  4. Masato Fukutake
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Correspondence to Kenji Watanabe.

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Watanabe-Fukuda, Y., Yamamoto, M., Miura, N. et al. Orengedokuto and berberine improve indomethacin-induced small intestinal injury via adenosine. J Gastroenterol 44, 380–389 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-009-0005-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-009-0005-2

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