Wei-fu-chun tablet halted gastric intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia associated with inflammation by regulating the NF-B pathway

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Chi006Eese herbal medicine Weifuchun Tablets (WFC) approved by the State Food and Drug Administration in 1982 has been widely used in treating a variety of chronic stomach disorders including Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and Gastric precancerous lesions in China clinically. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and potential mechanism of WFC in treating Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) and Gastric dysplasia (GDys). Materials and methods: Rat GIM and GDys established by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) combined with hot paste, ethanol injury, and intermittent fasting were intervened by WFC. Body weight, histopathology, pH of gastric acid, pepsin activity, intestinal metaplasia index and inflammation were detected. Rat bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) pretreated with WFC were stimulated by LPS. Inflammatory factors and the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) pathway were assessed. GES-1 cells pretreated by WFC were stimulated by MNNG and TNF-alpha, intestinal metaplasia index, the NF-kappa B pathway and interaction between P65 and CDX2 were detected. Results: WFC improved rat body weight, histopathology, pH value of gastric acid, activity of gastric pepsin, intestinal metaplasia (CDX2), inflammation (IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha), macrophage aggregation (CD68) in gastric mucosa in rat GIM and GDys. WFC inhibited inflammation (IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha) by inactivating the NF-kappa B pathway. WFC reduced the expression of CDX2 by inhibiting the binding of CDX2 promoter TSS upstream region with p65. Conclusion: WFC blocked GIM and GDys associated with inflammation by regulating the NF-kappa B pathway.