Antimicrobial Activity of Brassica rapa L. Flowers Extract on Gastrointestinal Tract Infections and Antiulcer Potential Against Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Rats Supported by Metabolomics Profiling

Abstract

Badriyah Alotaibi,1,* Fatma Alzahraa Mokhtar,2,* Thanaa A El-Masry,3 Engy Elekhnawy,4 Sally A Mostafa,5 Dalia H Abdelkader,6 Mohamed E Elharty,7 Asmaa Saleh,1,8 Walaa A Negm9 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 84428, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, ALsalam University, Al Gharbiyah, Egypt; 3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, 31111, Egypt; 4Pharmaceutical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, 31111, Egypt; 5Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35511, Egypt; 6Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, 31111, Egypt; 7Study Master in Pharmaceutical Science at the Institute of Research and Environmental Studies, El Sadat City, Egypt; 8Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 9Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, 31111, Egypt*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Walaa A NegmDepartment of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, 31111, EgyptTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected]: The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is vulnerable to various diseases. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effects of Brassica rapa flower extract (BRFE) on GIT diseases.Methods: Liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was used for phytochemical identification of the compounds in BRFE. The antibacterial activity of BRFE was investigated, and its impact on the bacterial outer and inner membrane permeability and membrane depolarization (using flow cytometry) was studied. In addition, the immunomodulatory activity of BRFE was investigated in vitro on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory activity of BRFE was investigated by histopathological examination and qRT-PCR on indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in rats.Results and Discussion: LC-ESI-MS/MS phytochemically identified 57 compounds in BRFE for the first time. BRFE displayed antibacterial activity against bacteria that cause GIT infections, with increasing outer and inner membrane permeability. However, membrane depolarization was unaffected. BRFE also exhibited immunomodulatory activity in LPS-stimulated PBMCs by attenuating the upregulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) gene expression compared with untreated LPS-stimulated PBMCs. In addition, BRFE exhibited anti-inflammatory activity required for maintaining gastric mucosa homeostasis by decreasing neutrophil infiltration with subsequent myeloperoxidase production, in addition to an increase in glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Histopathological findings presented the gastroprotective effects of BRFE, as a relatively normal stomach mucosa was found in treated rats. In addition, BRFE modulated the expression of genes encoding IL-10, NF-κB, GPx, and myeloperoxidase (MPO).Conclusion: BRFE can be a promising source of therapeutic agents for treatment of GIT diseases.Keywords: antioxidant activity, flow cytometry, GIT diseases, immunomodulatory activity, LC-MS/MS, qRT-PCR

Keywords

• antioxidant activity
• flow cytometry
• git diseases
• immunomodulatory activity
• lc-ms/ms
• qrt-pcr