Chemical components and protective effects of Atractylodes japonica Koidz. ex Kitam against acetic acid-induced gastric ulcer in rats

BACKGROUND 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. AIM To investigate the protective effects of A. japonica on acetic acid-induced GU rats. METHODS 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 metabolomic analysis was performed by UPLC-MS/MS to screen the specific potential biomarkers, metabolic pathways and to explore the possible mechanisms. RESULTS 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. CONCLUSION 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.