A possible involvement of Nrf2-mediated heme oxygenase-1 up-regulation in protective effect of the proton pump inhibitor pantoprazole against indomethacin-induced gastric damage in rats

BACKGROUND Proton pump is an integral membrane protein that is ubiquitous ATP binding cassette (ABC) involved in many transport processes in all living organisms, among which a specialized form of pump, so called p-type proton pump, exists in the parietal cells of stomach. Though proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are frequently prescribed to prevent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)-induced gastric damage, the acid suppressive actions do not suffice to explain. METHODS In order to document the effects of pantoprazole, one of PPIs, on the NSAIDs-induced gastric damage, in vitro and in vivo studies were performed. Immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, electrophoretic mobility shift assay and RT-PCR were conducted to evaluate the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) through Nrf2 activation in normal gastric mucosal RGM-1 cells or in vivo stomach tissues from rats treated with indomethacin and/or pantoprazole. RESULTS Pantoprazole activated Nrf2 through inactivation of Keap1, after which the expression of HO-1 was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in RGM-1 cells. Increased ARE-DNA binding activity was observed maximally at 1 h with 300 μM of pantoprazole. The expression of HO-1 induced by pantoprazole was significantly associated with the increased in vitro tube formation (P < 0.05) and angiogenic factors including VEGF, bFGF, and HIF-1α. Indomethacin markedly increased the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-8, NOX-1, ICAM-1 and VCAM, whereas pantoprazole significantly decreased the expressions of indomethacin-induced these inflammatory mediators in accord with pantoprazole-induced HO-1 (P < 0.05) as documented with HO-1 inhibitor. In vivo model of indomethacin-induced gastric damage could validate in vitro-drawn results that pantoprazole remarkably protected against indomethacin-induced gastric damage, in which zinc protoporphyrin (5 mg/kg, ip) significantly abolished the protective efficacy of pantoprazole. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that Nrf2-mediated HO-1 induction of PPIs afforded a significant protective effect against NSAIDs-induced gastric damage beyond acid suppressive actions.