Published online Nov 21, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i43.5848
Peer-review started: August 30, 2023
First decision: October 8, 2023
Revised: October 21, 2023
Accepted: November 7, 2023
Article in press: November 7, 2023
Published online: November 21, 2023
Processing time: 81 Days and 14.4 Hours
Atractylodes japonica Koidz. ex Kitam. (A. japonica, Chinese name: Guan-Cangzhu, Japanese name: Byaku-jutsu), a perennial herb, which is mainly distributed in northeast area of China, it’s often used to treat digestive system diseases such as gastric ulcer (GU). However, the mechanism of its potential protective effects against GU remains unclear.
To investigate the protective effects of A. japonica on acetic acid-induced GU rats.
The chemical constituents of A. japonica were determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis. The rat model of GU was simulated by acetic acid method. The pathological changes of gastric tissues were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin stain, the levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF), EGF receptor (EGFR), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-10, Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA) in serum and gastric tissues were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the mRNA expressions of EGFR, NF-κBp65, IkappaBalpha (IκBα) and Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1) in gastric tissues were determined by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and the efficacy was observed. Then, plasma metabo
48 chemical constituents were identified. Many of them have strong pharmacological activity, the results also revealed that A. japonica significantly improved the pathological damage of gastric tissues, increased the expression levels of IL-10, IκBα related to anti-inflammatory factors, decreased the expression levels of IL-1β, NF-κB, NF-κBp65, related to proinflammatory factors, restored the levels of factors about EGF, EGFR, ZO-1 associated with ulcer healing and the levels of factors about NKA associated with energy metabolism. Metabolomic analysis identified 10 potential differential metabolites and enriched 7 related metabolic pathways.
These findings contribute to the understanding of the potential mechanism of A. japonica to improve acetic acid-induced GU, and will be of great importance for the development and clinical application of natural drugs related to A. japonica.
Core Tip:Atractylodes japonica Koidz. ex Kitam. is a commonly used folk medicine for the treatment of gastric ulcer (GU), but the mechanism of the treatment of GU is still unclear. In this study, chemical composition, pharmacodynamics and metabolomics were studied to explore the potential mechanism of it. The finding was closely related to anti-inflammation, ulcer healing and other factors.