Abstract: The protective effects of corn protein hydrolysate (CPN) on gastric injury in mice induced by Helicobacter pylori infection were investigated. Healthy Kunming male mice were adaptively fed for seven days and randomly divided into six groups: normal, model, CPN200 (200 mg/kg mb), CPN400 (400 mg/kg mb), CPN600 (600 mg/kg mb) and positive control. The animal model of H. pylori infection was established by gastric administration of H. pylori. After administration of CPN for 5 continuous weeks, the levels of gastric antioxidant capacity, inflammatory cytokines and nuclear transcription factors and gastric histological changes were measured. The results showed that the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) significantly increased (P < 0.05)，the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the CPN groups when compared with the model group. Moreover, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), myeloperoxidase (MPO), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and keratinocyte chemokines (KC) significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the levels of key metabolites such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) significantly decreased as well (P < 0.05). In conclusion, corn protein hydrolysate can significantly increase antioxidant capacity, reduce the degree of lipid peroxidation, attenuate gastric inflammatory response and inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway, therefore exerting an antagonistic effect against gastric injury in mice induced by H. pylori infection.

Key words: corn protein hydrolysate; Helicobacter pylori; gastric injury; anti-adhesive