Investigating ellagitannins from strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) as a new strategy to counteract H. pylori infection and inflammation†

Helicobacter pylori colonises the gastric mucosa of at least 50% of the world's human population, causing a variety of gastric diseases, including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. The ability of the bacterium to colonise and induce inflammation is achieved through a combination of different virulence factors. Besides the conventional pharmacological treatment of H. pylori infection based on bacterial eradication, natural compounds could function as an adjuvant to existing therapies, potentially mitigating the consequences of H. pylori infection by impairing bacterial adhesion and subsequent gastric inflammation. This study focuses on Fragaria × ananassa extract and its ellagitannins, agrimoniin and casuarictin, as novel strategies to counteract H. pylori-related gastritis. Strawberry tannins exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in both TNFα-challenged and H. pylori-infected models, inhibiting the release of IL-8 and IL-6 by GES-1 cells. This effect was, at least in part, ascribed to the impairment of NF-κB signalling. The study compares the infection of epithelial cells with two different H. pylori strains (cagA+ and cagA−), demonstrating the different capacities of the extract and ellagitannins to impair the release of IL-6, while the effect on IL-8 release was independent of the different virulence potentials of the strains. Moreover, the extract and ellagitannins demonstrated antibacterial activity against cagA+ H. pylori growth, but exhibited reduced activity against the cagA− strain. The results of this study indicate the possible use of Fragaria × ananassa as a pharmacological and nutritional source in the prevention and/or treatment of gastritis induced by H. pylori.