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

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> 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 <i>H. pylori</i> infection based on bacterial eradication, natural compounds could function as an adjuvant to existing therapies, potentially mitigating the consequences of <i>H. pylori</i> infection by impairing bacterial adhesion and subsequent gastric inflammation. This study focuses on <i>Fragaria</i> × <i>ananassa</i> extract and its ellagitannins, agrimoniin and casuarictin, as novel strategies to counteract <i>H. pylori</i>-related gastritis. Strawberry tannins exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in both TNFα-challenged and <i>H. pylori</i>-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 <i>H. pylori</i> strains (<i>cagA</i>+ and <i>cagA</i>-), 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 <i>cagA</i>+ <i>H. pylori</i> growth, but exhibited reduced activity against the <i>cagA</i>- strain. The results of this study indicate the possible use of <i>Fragaria</i> × <i>ananassa</i> as a pharmacological and nutritional source in the prevention and/or treatment of gastritis induced by <i>H. pylori</i>.