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©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 7, 2024; 30(1): 91-107
Published online Jan 7, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i1.91
Mechanistic research: Selenium regulates virulence factors, reducing adhesion ability and inflammatory damage of Helicobacter pylori
Chun Qin, Gan-Rong Huang, Ai-Xing Guan, Wen-Ting Zhou, Hao Chen, Pei-Pei Luo, Xian-Ke Luo, Yan-Qiang Huang, Zan-Song Huang
Chun Qin, Gan-Rong Huang, Ai-Xing Guan, Wen-Ting Zhou, Yan-Qiang Huang, Zan-Song Huang, Guangxi Technology Innovation Cooperation Base of Prevention and Control Pathogenic Microbes with Drug Resistance, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Chun Qin, Ai-Xing Guan, Zan-Song Huang, Department of Digestive Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Gan-Rong Huang, Wen-Ting Zhou, Yan-Qiang Huang, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Resistant Microbial Infecting, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Hao Chen, Department of Pathology, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, Anhui Province, China
Pei-Pei Luo, Department of Gastroenterology, Wujin People’s Hospital affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213004, Jiangsu Province, China
Xian-Ke Luo, Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou Liwan District People's Hospital, Guangzhou 510370, Guangdong Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Yan-Qiang Huang and Zan-song Huang.
Author contributions: Qin C and Huang GR were responsible for the experimental research, reviewed the literature, and drafted the manuscript; Qin C and Huang GR contributed equally to this study; Guan AX, Zhou WT, Chen H, Luo PP, and Luo XK were responsible for writing, reviewing, and editing the study; All authors were involved in the critical review of the results and have contributed to, read, and approved the final manuscript; Huang YQ and Huang ZS contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. The reasons for designating Huang YQ and Huang ZS as co-corresponding authors are threefold. First, the research was performed as a collaborative effort, and the designation of co-corresponding authorship accurately reflects the distribution of responsibilities and burdens associated with the time and effort required to complete the study and the resultant paper. This also ensures effective communication and management of post-submission matters, ultimately enhancing the paper’s quality and reliability. Second, the overall research team encompassed authors with a variety of expertise and skills from different fields, and the designation of co-corresponding authors best reflects this diversity. This also promotes the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of the research topic, ultimately enriching readers' understanding by offering various expert perspectives. Third, Huang YQ and Huang ZS contributed efforts of equal substance throughout the research process. The choice of these researchers as co-corresponding authors acknowledges and respects this equal contribution, while recognizing the spirit of teamwork and collaboration of this study. In summary, we believe that designating Huang YQ and Huang ZS as co-corresponding authors of is fitting for our manuscript as it accurately reflects our team's collaborative spirit, equal contributions, and diversity.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 32060018 and No. 32360035; Through Special Fund Projects for Guide Local Science and Technology Development by the China Government, No. GUIKEZY20198004; Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. 2308085QH245; the Natural Science Foundation of the Anhui Higher Education Institutions of China, No. 2023AH040261; and Changzhou Science and Technology Project Fund, No. CJ20210012.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities Institutional Review Board.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE Guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE Guidelines.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Zan-Song Huang, Professor, Guangxi Technology Innovation Cooperation Base of Prevention and Control Pathogenic Microbes With Drug Resistance, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, No. 98 Urban-Rural Road, Baise 533000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. 1019846481@qq.com
Received: October 26, 2023
Peer-review started: October 26, 2023
First decision: November 13, 2023
Revised: November 22, 2023
Accepted: December 13, 2023
Article in press: December 13, 2023
Published online: January 7, 2024
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
Helicobacter pylori is a common gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the stomach and is currently recognized as a class I carcinogen. The H. pylori infection rate is as high as approximately 60%, and the H. pylori eradication rate was markedly decreased with increasing rate of drug resistance. Finding new antimicrobial drugs or control regimens to mitigate the threat of H. pylori to human health and mimicking live vaccines is crucial. The preparation of live vaccines with reduced virulence and reduced pathogenicity is a promising control method. Selenium (Se) is one of the essential trace elements in the human body. Se has been proven to have an attenuating effect, but whether it has the same effect on H. pylori is unknown. The interaction among H. pylori, Se and its mechanism in the stomach has rarely been studied H. pylori has coexisted with humans for 100000 years, and eliminating this coexisting relationship is extremely difficult, this makes studying the effect of Se on H. pylori difficult. The influence of Se on the interaction between H.pylori and the organism may provide new ideas and an experimental basis for the prevention and treatment of H.pylori.
Research motivation
Currently, H. pylori is a persistent threat to humans, and the increase in drug resistance makes it increasingly difficult to eliminate this threat. Studying the mechanism of the attenuating effect of the trace element Se on H. pylori and its interaction with the organism after attenuation will help to better apply Se to the development of H. pylori attenuated vaccines and alleviate the problem of H. pylori drug resistance.
Research objectives
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of action of the trace element Se on the virulence factors of H. pylori and to provide an experimental basis for the use of the trace element Se in the prevention and treatment of H. pylori.
Research methods
A Se-enriched environment was created with sodium selenite to induce H. pylori, and the effect of the Se-enriched environment on the virulence of H. pylori and its potential mechanisms were evaluated by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, protein immunoblotting, transcriptome gene sequencing, Alma blue assay, and cell adhesion assay. A mouse gastritis model was established to understand the attenuation of H. pylori in terms of the changes in virulence in vitro and in vivo.
Research results
Se-enriched environments may lead to a reduction in the virulence factors CagA and VacA and significantly attenuate the pathogenicity of H. pylori by affecting the CagPAI-encoded type IV secretion systems of H. pylori.
Research conclusions
The mechanism of action of sodium selenite leading to the reduction of H. pylori virulence was shown to be through the downregulation of virulence factor expression, which led to a significant reduction in adhesion capacity, as well as inflammatory damage, thus inhibiting the growth of H. pylori and presenting better stability under a Se-rich environment.
Research perspectives
This study demonstrated the antibacterial mechanism of sodium selenite against H. pylori in a Se-enriched environment through in vitro and in vivo experiments. These results provide theoretical support for further research and development of sodium selenite in the preparation of attenuated vaccines and contributes to the alleviation of drug resistance in H. pylori.
