pylori-associated gastric disease. The Mongolian gerbil model is the best animal model for this purpose because H. pylori infection induces chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, and intestinal metaplasia in these animals. Mongolian gerbils develop gastric neoplasia and gastric cancer after chronic infection by H. pylori strain 7.13 [28] and [29], as used in the present study. After the infection of gerbils with H. pylori, we determined: the changes in LPO level, which is an index of oxidative membrane damage; the activity of MPO, a biomarker of neutrophil infiltration; the induction of inflammatory mediator keratinocyte chemoattractant

factor (KC), an IL-8 homolog in rodents [30]; IL-1β; iNOS; and the phosphorylation of MEK inhibitor IκBα, which reflects the activation of NF-κB. In addition,

this website viable H. pylori colonization in the stomach, changes in food intake and body weight, stomach weight/total body weight, and histological analysis of gastric mucosa were compared between animals that received RGE and those that did not. Five-wk-old male specific-pathogen-free Mongolian gerbils (MGS/Sea) with an average weight of approximately 40 g were purchased from Charles River Laboratories (Wilmington, MA, USA). Gerbils were housed in polypropylene cages on hard wood chip bedding in groups of five/cage. Food and water were provided ad libitum. The animals were maintained in a temperature-controlled room (22 ± 2°C) with a 12-h light–dark cycle. The

animal experiments were performed in accordance with institutional guidelines. Protocols were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Yonsei University Medical Center (Seoul, Korea; Permit No.: 10-107). Ten gerbils were included in each group. Histological observations are reported for 10 gerbils/group. All animals were maintained in the specific pathogen-free facility at Yonsei University Medical Center. H. pylori strain 7.13 was maintained as frozen stock at –80°C in brain–heart infusion medium supplemented with 20% glycerol and 10% fetal bovine serum. Bacteria were grown on horse blood agar plates containing 4% Columbia agar base (Oxoid, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK), 5% defibrinated horse blood (HemoStat Labs, Dixon, CA, USA), enough 0.2% β-cyclodextrin, 10 μg/mL vancomycin, 5 μg/mL cefsulodin, 2.5 U/mL polymyxin B, 5 μg/mL trimethoprim, and 8 μg/mL amphotericin B at 37°C under microaerophilic conditions. A microaerobic atmosphere was generated using a CampyGen sachet (Oxoid) in a gas pack jar. For liquid culture, H. pylori was grown in brucella broth (Difco & BBL Diagnostics, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) containing 10% FBS (Gibco-BRL, Grand Island, NY, USA). Cultures were shaken in a microaerobic environment. According to the growth curve, 108 bacteria were collected and resuspended in 500 μL of brucella broth for the infection of each animal.