Effect of white jade snail secretion on antioxidant capacity and intestinal microbial diversity in mouse model of acute gastric ulcer

Abstract BACKGROUND In the present work, acute gastric ulcer models were constructed by administering hydrochloric acid/ethanol. The mice ingested white jade snail secretion (WJSS) through gastric infusion. Ulcer areas in gastric tissue were recorded, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also measured. Notably, high‐throughput 16S rDNA analysis of intestinal flora and determination of amino acid composition in feces were performed to understand the effect of WJSS on model mice. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the ulcer area in the WJSS low‐, medium‐ and high‐concentration groups declined by 28.02%, 39.57% and 77.85%, respectively. MDA content decreased by 24.71%, 49.58% and 64.25%, and SOD relative enzyme activity fell by 28.19%, 43.37% and 9.60%, respectively. The amounts of amino acids in the low‐, medium‐ and high‐concentration groups were slightly lower, and probiotic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillales increased in different‐concentration WJSS groups. Adding WJSS contributes to the establishment of beneficial intestinal flora and the absorption of amino acids. CONCLUSION Our results showed that WJSS has a beneficial effect on inhibiting hydrochloric acid–ethanolic gastric ulcers, suggesting that WJSS has excellent potential as a novel anti‐ulcer agent. Combined with ulcer area, MDA content, SOD content, gut probiotics and other indicators, a high concentration of WJSS had the best protective effect on acute gastric ulcer. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.