The H. pylori cell suspensions (200 μL) were transferred into a fresh simple-PPLO broth (10 mL) and cultured for another 24 h under the same conditions. This subculture procedure was repeated three times to yield a preculture H. pylori cell suspension. The following steroids, all from Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), were investigated: estradiol, androstenedione, progesterone (PS), 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17αPS), and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17αPSCE). Each steroid was dissolved

3-Methyladenine mouse in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at a concentration of 100 mM and stored at room temperature in the dark until the day of the experiments. The 0.1% concentration of the DMSO used in this study did not affect the viability of the H. pylori. The CFUs were determined using the following procedure. Helicobacter pylori cell suspensions were serially diluted 10-fold with a simple-PPLO broth, spread on plates of brain–heart infusion agar (Difco Crizotinib cost Laboratories) containing 5% horse serum (Gibco, Auckland, NZ), and cultured for 1 week under microaerobic conditions. The CFUs were calculated based on the colony counts and dilution factors of the bacterial cell suspension. The H. pylori cells were recovered from the simple-PPLO precultures (3 mL) via centrifugation (8600 g, 5 min) and incubated for 24 h

with or without the steroid (progesterone: 100 μM or 17αPSCE: Verteporfin mw 100 μM) in a fresh simple-PPLO broth (3 mL) with continuous shaking under microaerobic conditions in the dark. After the incubation, the H. pylori cells were harvested via centrifugation (8600 g, 5 min), resuspended in sterile saline (3 mL), and examined using

a spectrophotometer (Versa max microplate reader: Molecular Devices Co., CA) to measure the OD660 nm of the cell suspensions (200 μL). Helicobacter pylori cells were microscopically observed with differential interference using an AX80 T microscope (Olympus Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The H. pylori cell suspensions (60 μL) were transferred into a simple-PPLO broth (3 mL) containing the steroid at various concentrations and cultured for 24 h with continuous shaking under microaerobic conditions in the dark. The CFUs were determined after the cultures. Helicobacter pylori cells (approximately 108.3 CFU mL−1) were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS: 15 mL) containing progesterone (100 μM) or 17αPSCE (100 μM) and incubated for 5 h with continuous shaking under microaerobic conditions in the dark. After the CFU of each cell suspension was measured, the cell supernatant (10 mL) was filtrated using a syringe filter (a 0.45 μm pore size; Whatman Japan KK, Tokyo Japan), concentrated using a centrifugal filter device (Centriprep YM-3: Millipore Co., Bedford, MA), and subjected to 80% acetone precipitation. The precipitates were then dissolved in a sample buffer [50 mM Tris (pH 6.8), 5% glycerol, 0.