ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Molecular Bacterial Pathogenesis
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1617330
Component characterization of Smilax glabra Roxb., and its inhibitory activity against Helicobacter pylori through targeted suppression of its secreted urease
Provisionally accepted
- Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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Background: Smilax glabra Roxb. (SGR), known as “tufuling” in China, is a medical and edible plant. SGR is extensively utilized in the remedy of gastroenteric disorders associated with H. pylori infection. However, the precise mechanism underlying the anti-H. pylori function of SGR remains to be elucidated.Aim: To evaluate the inhibitory effect and underlying mechanism of SGR against H. pylori.Methods: UPLC-ESI-MS/MS was applied to identify the components of SGR. The anti-H. pylori effect of SGR was conducted and the enzyme inhibitory activities of SGR and its primary constituents were assessed. To explore the underlying mechanisms, sulfhydryl group reagents and Ni2+ binding inhibitors were employed. Additionally, molecular docking simulations were conducted to examine the binding interactions between the main compounds of SGR and urease.Results: A total of 34 compounds including flavonoids including astilbin, engeletin, isoengeletin, neoastilbin, isoastilbin and neoisoastilbin are identified in SGR. SGR was observed to inhibit the growth of three H. pylori strains with MIC values spanning a range of 0.5 to 1.5 mg/mL. Moreover, SGR exerted a significant inhibitory effect on HPU and JBU, with IC50 values of 1.04 ± 0.00 mg/mL and 1.01 ± 0.01 mg/mL, separately. Enzyme kinetics analysis showed that SGR was a slow binding, non-competitive depressor to HPU, and a slow binding, mixed depressor to JBU. In-depth mechanism exploration showed that thiol compounds had better protective effect on HPU or JBU than inorganic substances, implying that the active site of SGR repressing urease may be the sulfhydryl group. Reactivation of SGR-inactivated urease indicated that the SGR-induced HPU or JBU reaction was reversible. Additionally, astilbin and engeletin exhibited a certain inhibitory role towards urease activity, with astilbin inhibiting urease more than three times as strongly as engelitin. Molecular docking study indicated that astilbin and engeletin interacts with sulfhydryl groups at the active site of urease.Conclusion: These results indicated that SGR could prominently inhibit H. pylori growth through targeted suppression of its secreted urease. This investigation provides substantial experimental evidence supporting the cosideration of SGR as a safe and promising natural treatment for H. pylori-associated gastrointestinal diseases.
Keywords: Smilax glabra Roxb., Astilbin, Helicobacter pylori, Urease, thiol, molecular docking
Received: 24 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tang, Lu, Yang, Zhou, Tang, He and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cailan Li, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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