Deep-sea water (DSW), which is rich in
micronutrients and minerals and with
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities, may be developed as marine drugs to provide intestinal protection against
duodenal ulcers. We determined several characteristics in the modified DSW. We explored duodenal pressure, oxygenation, microvascular blood flow, and changes in pH and oxidative redox potential (ORP) values within the stomach and duodenum in response to tap water (TW, hardness: 2.48 ppm), DSW600 (hardness: 600 ppm), and DSW1200 (hardness: 1200 ppm) in Wistar rats and analyzed oxidative stress and apoptosis gene expressions by
cDNA and
RNA microarrays in the duodenal epithelium. We compared the effects of drinking DSW,
MgCl2, and
selenium water on
duodenal ulcers using pathologic scoring, immunohistochemical analysis, and Western blotting. Our results showed DSW has a higher pH value, lower ORP value, higher scavenging H2O2 and HOCl activity, higher Mg2+ concentrations, and
micronutrients selenium compared with TW samples. Water infusion significantly increased intestinal pressure, O2 levels, and microvascular blood flow in DSW and TW groups. Microarray showed DSW600, DSW1200,
selenium water upregulated
antioxidant and anti-apoptotic genes and downregulated pro-apoptotic gene expression compared with the TW group. Drinking DSW600, DSW1200, and
selenium water but not Mg2+ water significantly enhanced Bcl-2 and
thioredoxin reductase 1 expression. Bax/Bcl-2/
caspase 3/
poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase signaling was activated during the pathogenesis of duodenal ulceration. DSW drinking reduced
ulcer area as well as apoptotic signaling in
acetic acid-induced
duodenal ulcers. DSW, which contains
selenium, provides intestinal protection against
duodenal ulcers through the upregulation of Bcl-2 and
thioredoxin reductase 1.