Effect of Jianpi Jiedu Recipe on angiogenesis and the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the course of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer in C57BL/6 mice

Objective: To reveal the effect of Jianpi Jiedu recipe (JPJDR) on angiogenesis and the PTEN (Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten)/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the course of H. pylori infection-induced carcinogenesis of gastric mucosa in C57BL/6 mice. Methods: Two-hundred C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups (control group, model group, JPJDR low-dose group, JPJDR medium-dose group, and JPJDR high-dose group), 40 in each group. A mouse model of gastric cancer, induced by H. pylori standard strain infection, was established. The mice of JPJDR low-dose, middle-dose, and high-dose groups were intragastrically administered 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg JPJDR per day, respectively. After 72 weeks, the H. pylori infection in gastric mucosa of the mice was analyzed by rapid urease test; the pathological changes in the gastric mucosa of mice were assessed by histopathological examination, and micro-vessel density (MVD), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and PTEN/PI3K/AKT levels were determined. Results: The incidence of gastric cancer in each group (control group, model group, JPJDR low-dose, medium-dose, high-dose group) was 0%, 26.3%, 13.2%, 10%, and 7.5% respectively. The incidence of gastric cancer in the Chinese medicine group was significantly lower than that of the model group (P = 0.020, P = 0.023, P = 0.007). The expression of MVD and VEGF in the model group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P = 0.002, P < 0.001), while the expression of MVD and VEGF decreased in the Chinese medicine group. The expression of p-PTEN and p-AKT in the model group was significantly higher than that in the control group (All P < 0.001), while Chinese medicine could reduce the expression of p-PTEN and p-AKT to varying extents. Conclusion: Long-term infection of C57BL/6 mice with H. pylori induces gastric carcinogenesis, by increasing gastric mucosal MVD, promoting the expression of VEGF, inhibiting the activity of PTEN, and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. JPJDR can reduce the infection rate of H. pylori in mouse gastric mucosa, inhibit the expression of MVD and VEGF, and reduce the inactivation of PTEN.