Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40644360›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Phytol nanoemulsions encapsulated alginate hydrogel beads for the protection and management of alcohol-induced gastric ulcer via nitric oxide synthase and NF-κB/IL-6/TGF-β modulation.

Tamer I M Ragab, Abdulsalam M Kassem, Heba M I Abdallah, Sally A El Awdan, Naglaa M Ammar, Abd El-Nasser G El Gendy, Basma Emad Aboulhoda, Sherif M Afifi, Tuba Esatbeyoglu, Enayat A Omara and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Tamer I M RagabChemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Abdulsalam M KassemDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1452-2806
Heba M I AbdallahPharmacology Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Sally A El AwdanPharmacology Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Naglaa M AmmarTherapeutic Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Abd El-Nasser G El GendyMedicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Basma Emad AboulhodaAnatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Sherif M AfifiDepartment for Life Quality Studies, Rimini Campus, University of Bologna, Rimini, Italy.
Tuba EsatbeyogluDepartment of Molecular Food Chemistry and Food Development, Institute of Food and One Health, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2413-6925
Enayat A OmaraPathology Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Abdelsamed I ElshamyDepartment of Natural Compounds Chemistry, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3302-3623

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInnovative treatment strategies are required for stomach ulcers because of their multifactorial nature. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising and transformative platform for the formulation and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. METHODS AND

findingsThe gastroprotective potential of both in its free form and encapsulated in calcium alginate beads was evaluated against ethanol-induced gastric ulceration in rats. Phytol-loaded nanoemulsions were incorporated into alginate beads to achieve controlled release. Alginate beads showed a pH-dependent release pattern. The release behavior showed a higher release rate at pH 6.8 than at pH 1.2. Phytol release kinetics followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, indicating a release mechanism governed by diffusion and polymer relaxation. Rats were pretreated with Phytol and/or nano-Phytol at 10 or 20 mg/kg doses administered one hour before ethanol exposure. Gastric ulcer was induced by administration of EtOH (1 mL/kg, p.o.) 0.5 h after NG-nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) or Aminoguanidine (AMG) injection. Phytol treatment led to a reduction in ulcer index and severity and improved stomach gross morphology. Also, interleukin-6 (IL-6) gastric contents were reduced, whereas transforming growth factor β (TGF-β1) was elevated, and histopathological features were ameliorated. Western blot analysis revealed that nano-Phytol exerted greater inhibitory effects on caspase-3 and Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB) than unformulated Phytol. Interestingly, Phytol's pharmacological effects on ulcers were enhanced by its nanoformulation in a dose-dependent way without exhibiting any toxicity symptoms. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) confirmed significantly improved tissue penetration of nano-Phytol within the stomach layers compared to the Phytol. The Phytol or nano-Phytol gastroprotective effects were modified via the co-administration of L-NAME and AMG.

conclusionsThe nano-Phytol formulation significantly enhanced the gastroprotective effect of Phytol against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers, primarily through modulation of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase pathway, suppression of inflammation, and upregulation of the growth factor TGF-β1.

Indexed as

AlginatesHydrogelsNitric Oxide SynthaseStomach UlcerAnimalsEmulsionsEthanolInterleukin-6MaleNanoparticlesNF-kappa BRatsTransforming Growth Factor betaAlginatesEmulsionsEthanolHydrogelsInterleukin-6NF-kappa BNitric Oxide SynthaseTransforming Growth Factor beta

Identifiers

PMID40644360
PMCPMC12250206

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.