Cytological Evaluation of Sea Cucumber Fucoidan Inhibiting the Activity of Helicobacter pylori in vitro

Abstract

Objective: To study the inhibitory effect of sea cucumber fucoidan on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in vitro and its cytological mechanism, laying a foundation for the further development of natural anti-H. pylori drugs. Methods: Sea cucumber fucoidan was prepared by water extraction and alcohol precipitation. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against H. pylori standard strains and clinical drug-resistant strains were determined using the micro-dilution method. Human gastric mucosal epithelial cells (GES-1) were used as experimental subjects and divided into different concentration groups of sea cucumber fucoidan, an H. pylori infection group, and a negative control group. Cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 method; Giemsa staining was used to observe changes in cell morphology; and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. Results: Sea cucumber fucoidan effectively inhibited the growth of H. pylori. The MIC for the standard strain and clinical drug-resistant strain was 18 mg/mL and 36 mg/mL, respectively, while the MBC was 36 mg/mL and 72 mg/mL, respectively. Compared with the H. pylori infection group, at the same time point, the sea cucumber fucoidan treatment group showed higher cell survival rates, lighter degrees of cell damage, and lower levels of IL-1β and TNF-α (P < 0.05), which gradually decreased as the concentration of sea cucumber fucoidan increased. Conclusion: Sea cucumber fucoidan can inhibit the reproduction of H. pylori in vitro, reduce the possibility of gastric mucosal epithelial cell damage and inflammatory reactions caused by H. pylori, and has great potential to be developed into a novel anti-H. pylori drug.