Integrating network pharmacology, metabolomics, and gut microbiota analysis to explore the effects of Jinhong tablets on chronic superficial gastritis
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Mar 6, 2025
Abstract
Chronic superficial gastritis (CSG) severely affects quality of life and can
progress to worse gastric pathologies. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
effectively treats CSG, as exemplified by Jinhong Tablets (JHT) with known
anti-inflammatory properties, though their mechanism remains unclear. This
study integrated network pharmacology, untargeted metabolomics, and gut
microbiota analyses to investigate how JHT alleviates CSG. A rat CSG model was
established and evaluated via H&E staining. We identified JHT's target profiles
and constructed a multi-layer biomolecular network. Differential metabolites in
plasma were determined by untargeted metabolomics, and gut microbiota
diversity/composition in fecal and cecal samples was assessed via 16S rRNA
sequencing. JHT markedly reduced gastric inflammation. Network pharmacology
highlighted metabolic pathways, particularly lipid and nitric oxide metabolism,
as essential to JHT's therapeutic effect. Metabolomics identified key
differential metabolites including betaine (enhancing gut microbiota),
phospholipids, and citrulline (indicating severity of CSG). Pathway enrichment
supported the gut microbiota's involvement. Further microbiota analysis showed
that JHT increased betaine abundance, improved short-chain fatty acid
production, and elevated Faecalibaculum and Bifidobacterium, thereby
alleviating gastric inflammation. In conclusion, JHT alleviates CSG via diverse
metabolic processes, especially lipid and energy metabolism, and influences
metabolites like betaine alongside gut microbes such as Faecalibaculum and
Bifidobacterium. These findings underscore JHT's therapeutic potential and
deepen our understanding of TCM's role in CSG management.
