title: Effects of mastic gum Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia on innate cellular immune effectors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The essential oil and Chios mastic gum (CMG) are natural antimicrobial agents currently broadly used in medicine owing to their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CMG-extracted arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs/CMG) both in vitro and in vivo, under the presence of Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP), on the innate cellular immune effectors (neutrophils activations) comparing H. pylori-infected patients and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The in-vivo effect of AGPs/CMG under the presence of HP-NAP in neutrophil activation was investigated in five H. pylori-infected patients and three healthy volunteers who received 1 g daily consumption of CMG for 2 months. All participants did not receive any immunosuppressive medication before or during the trial; patients with infectious diseases that could modify their immunologic status were excluded. In-vitro studies with pull-down experiments to assess the effect of AGPs/CMG under the presence of HP-NAP on the neutrophil activation were also carried out. Neutrophil activation was estimated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase assays and optical microscopy methods by measurement of cytochrome C reduction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neutrophil activation was reduced when incubated in vitro with HP-NAP (P=0.0027) and AGP plus HP-NAP (P=0.0004) in H. pylori-positive patients who consumed AGP for 2 months. Similar results were also obtained when neutrophils were incubated with AGP plus HP-NAP (P=0.0038) in controls. Pull-down experiments showed a specific binding of AGPs to two membrane proteins of neutrophils, possibly suggesting inhibition of neutrophil activation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AGPs/CMG inhibit neutrophil activation in the presence of HP-NAP, playing a crucial role in H. pylori-associated pathologies in gastric mucosa.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, American-Hellenic Educational Progressive Association Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Filippos
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kottakis
authors.forename: Kokona
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kouzi-Koliakou
authors.forename: Stefanos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pendas
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kountouras
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Choli-Papadopoulou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D000069997:Mastic Resin; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009088:Mucoproteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018375:Neutrophil Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D027927:Pistacia; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012116:Resins, Plant / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000069997:Mastic Resin; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009088:Mucoproteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012116:Resins, Plant; C006619:arabinogalactan proteins; C092412:neutrophil-activating protein A, Helicobacter pylori