Hyun-Ho Yun

Gastric mucosal injury is associated with acute epithelial damage, inflammatory cytokine release, and disruption of the protective mucus barrier. NPKE6-FM is a fermented metabolite preparation produced from puffed soybean and rice inoculated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NPKE6, a strain isolated from Korean water kimchi. Although NPKE6-FM has shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential in previous in vitro and in vivo studies, its gastroprotective efficacy against acute gastric injury has not been fully evaluated. This study investigated the protective effects of NPKE6-FM in an HCl/ethanol-induced acute gastritis model in ICR mice. Male ICR mice were randomly assigned to six groups after weight measurement (n = 5 per group): normal control (distilled water only), model group (HCl/ethanol plus distilled water), positive control (HCl/ethanol plus rebamipide, 50 mg/kg), and NPKE6-FM treatment groups receiving 10, 50, or 100 mg/kg. Test substances or vehicle were orally administered for 14 consecutive days. Following an approximately 18 h fast on Day 15, acute gastric mucosal injury was induced by oral administration of 200 mM HCl in 80% ethanol. Gastric tissues were collected approximately 1 h after injury induction for macroscopic lesion assessment, histopathological examination, cytokine analysis, and quantitative real-time PCR analysis of inflammation- and mucin-related genes. HCl/ethanol administration induced marked hemorrhagic and erosive gastric lesions, histopathological mucosal damage, and increased levels of TNF-α and IL-6. NPKE6-FM treatment reduced gross gastric lesion scores in a dose-dependent manner, with the 100 mg/kg group showing the greatest protective effect. Histological evaluation further indicated improved preservation of gastric mucosal architecture in NPKE6-FM-treated mice. In addition, NPKE6-FM significantly suppressed TNF-α and IL-6 levels and downregulated the mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators, including COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-6. Conversely, the HCl/ethanol-induced reduction in Muc5ac expression was substantially restored by NPKE6-FM treatment. These findings demonstrate that NPKE6-FM protects against HCl/ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury through anti-inflammatory activity and reinforcement of the gastric mucus barrier. NPKE6-FM may therefore represent a promising functional food ingredient or nutraceutical candidate for the prevention or attenuation of gastric mucosal injury.

In this study, we evaluated the physiological effects of fermented metabolites derived from puffed grains (z), fermented using Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NPKE6, a strain isolated from Korean water kimchi. In vitro assays showed that NPKE6-FM significantly increased antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, GPx) and digestive enzyme activities (α-amylase, protease), suggesting its strong biofunctional potential. To confirm its in vivo efficacy, we established two inflammatory disease models—ulcerative colitis and liver injury—in male C57BL/6 mice. Colitis was induced by oral administration of 1% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS, 1 mL), while liver injury was induced by intraperitoneal injection of acetaminophen (APAP, 300 mg/kg) three times per week for 4 weeks. In disease-induced control groups, elevated serum biomarkers (AST, ALT, ALP) and reduced antioxidant activity were observed. Experimental groups received 10 or 50 mg/kg/day of NPKE6-FM for 4 weeks. Treatment significantly restored antioxidant enzyme levels and reduced inflammatory markers such as TNF-α and IL-6. In the colitis model, NPKE6-FM alleviated DSS-induced tissue damage, evidenced by improved colon length, weight, and histological scores. Gene expression analysis showed downregulation of iNOS and COX-2 in colon tissues and Akt and MCP-1 in liver, indicating molecular anti-inflammatory effects. Although liver histopathology did not show marked improvement, biochemical and gene expression results supported its protective role. In summary, NPKE6-FM demonstrated potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo, indicating its potential as a functional food additive to prevent or alleviate inflammatory conditions such as colitis and liver injury.

The complex process of bone regeneration is influenced by factors such as inflammatory responses, tissue interactions, and progenitor cells. Currently, multiple traumas can interfere with fracture healing, causing the prolonging or failure of healing. In these cases, bone grafting is the most effective treatment. However, there are several drawbacks, such as morbidity at the donor site and availability of suitable materials. Advantages have been provided in this field by a variety of stem cell types. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) show promise. In the radiological examination of this study, it was confirmed that the C/S group showed faster regeneration than the other groups, and Micro-CT also showed that the degree of bone formation in the defect area was highest in the C/S group. Compared to the control group, the change in cortical bone area in the defect area decreased in the sham group (0.874), while it slightly increased in the C/S group (1.027). An increase in relative vascularity indicates a decrease in overall bone density, but a weak depression filled with fibrous tissue was observed outside the compact bone. It was confirmed that newly formed cortical bone showed a slight difference in bone density compared to surrounding normal bone tissue due to increased distribution of cortical bone. In this study, we investigated the effect of bone regeneration by ADMSCs measured by radiation and pathological effects. These data can ultimately be applied to humans with important clinical applications in various bone diseases, regenerative, and early stages of formative differentiation.