Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To research the mechanism of action and transcriptomic characteristics for the intervention effect of self-made Chaihuang decoction (Sichs) on gastric ulcer (GU) rats with liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency and to clarify the therapeutic pathway and effective target. METHODS: Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into the control group, model group, and Sichs group (10 rats per group). The model of GU rats with liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency was established through multifactor compound simulation of traditional Chinese medical (TCM) etiology and acetic acid method. Histopathological changes in the gastric antrum tissue were observed with H&E staining. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was utilized to check differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the gastric antrum tissues of rats, and gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed. The key DEGs were validated using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Sichs could ameliorate gastric antrum tissue injury in GU rats with liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency. After RNA-seq, it was found that Sichs could reverse 225 upregulated genes and 26 downregulated genes in the model group. And the DEGs between the Sichs group and the model group were related to cell division, complement activation, and phospholipase A2 (Pla2g2a) activity. According to KEGG pathway analysis, DEGs between the two groups were mainly enriched in signaling pathways such as cell cycle, p53 signaling pathway, and linolenic acid metabolism. The validation results of the four key DEGs were consistent with the analysis trend of sequencing results. CONCLUSION: Sichs can effectively improve GU with liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency in rats through the signaling pathways related to cell cycle and lipid metabolism.