1. Academic Validation
  2. Implication of Echinochrome A in the Plasticity and Damage of Intestinal Epithelium

Implication of Echinochrome A in the Plasticity and Damage of Intestinal Epithelium

  • Mar Drugs. 2022 Nov 14;20(11):715. doi: 10.3390/md20110715.
Ji-Su Ahn 1 2 3 Ye Young Shin 1 2 3 Su-Jeong Oh 1 2 3 Min-Hye Song 1 Min-Jung Kang 1 So Yeong Park 1 2 3 Phuong Thao Nguyen 1 2 3 Dang Khoa Nguyen 1 2 3 Hyoung Kyu Kim 4 Jin Han 4 Elena A Vasileva 5 Natalia P Mishchenko 5 Sergey A Fedoreyev 5 Valentin A Stonik 5 Yoojin Seo 1 Byung-Chul Lee 6 Hyung-Sik Kim 1 2 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Oral Biochemistry, Dental and Life Science Institute, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
  • 2 Department of Life Science in Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
  • 3 Education and Research Team for Life Science on Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
  • 4 Basic Research Laboratory, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Smart Marine Therapeutic Center, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Center, Inje University, Busan 614-735, Republic of Korea.
  • 5 G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 690022 Vladivostok, Russia.
  • 6 Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract

The diverse therapeutic feasibility of the sea urchin-derived naphthoquinone pigment, Echinochrome A (Ech A), has been studied. Simple and noninvasive administration routes should be explored, to obtain the feasibility. Although the therapeutic potential has been proven through several preclinical studies, the biosafety of orally administered Ech A and its direct influence on intestinal cells have not been evaluated. To estimate the bioavailability of Ech A as an oral administration drug, small intestinal and colonic epithelial organoids were developed from mice and humans. The morphology and cellular composition of intestinal organoids were evaluated after Ech A treatment. Ech A treatment significantly increased the expression of LGR5 (~2.38-fold change, p = 0.009) and MUC2 (~1.85-fold change, p = 0.08). Notably, in the presence of oxidative stress, Ech A attenuated oxidative stress up to 1.8-fold (p = 0.04), with a restored gene expression of LGR5 (~4.11-fold change, p = 0.0004), as well as an increased expression of Ly6a (~3.51-fold change, p = 0.005) and CLU (~2.5-fold change, p = 0.01), markers of revival stem cells. In conclusion, Ech A is harmless to intestinal tissues; rather, it promotes the maintenance and regeneration of the intestinal epithelium, suggesting possible beneficial effects on the intestine when used as an oral medication.

Keywords

echinochrome A; intestinal epithelium; oral administration; organoid; regeneration; revival stem cells.

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