Elian granules alleviate precancerous lesions of gastric cancer in rats by suppressing M2-type polarization of tumor-associated macrophages through NF-κB signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC) refer to a kind of histopathological changes in the gastric mucosa that can progress to gastric cancer. Elian granules (ELG), a Chinese medicinal prescription, have achieved satisfactory results in the treatment of PLGC. However, the exact mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of ELG remains unclear. Here, this study aims to explore the mechanism of ELG alleviating PLGC in rats. METHODS: The chemical ingredients of ELG were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Specific Pathogen Free SD rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the control, model, and ELG groups. The 1-Methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) integrated modeling method was adopted to construct the PLGC rat model in groups except for the control group. Meanwhile, normal saline was used as an intervention for the control and model groups, and ELG aqueous solution for the ELG group, lasting 40 weeks. Subsequently, the stomach of rats was harvested for further analysis. Hematoxylin-eosin staining of the gastric tissue was conducted to assess the pathological changes. Immunofluorescence was carried out for the expression of CD68, and CD206 proteins. Real-time quantitative PCR combined with Western blot was conducted to analyze the expression of arginase-1(Arg-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), p65, p-p65, nuclear factor inhibitor protein-α (IκBα), and p-IκBα in gastric antrum tissue. RESULTS: Five chemical ingredients including Curcumol, Curzerenone, Berberine, Ferulic Acid, and 2-Hydroxy-3-Methylanthraquine were identified in ELG. The gastric mucosal glands of rats treated with ELG were orderly arranged, with no intestinal metaplasia and no dysplasia. Furthermore, ELG decreased the percentage of M2-type TAMs marked with CD68 and CD206 proteins, and the ratio of Arg-1 to iNOS in the gastric antrum tissue of rats with PLGC. In addition, ELG could also down-regulate the protein and mRNA expression of p-p65, p65, and p-IκBα, but up-regulate the expression of IκBα mRNA in rats with PLGC. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that ELG attenuates PLGC in rats by suppressing the M2-type polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) through NF-κB signaling pathway.

Mechanism of Elian granules in the treatment of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer in rats through the MAPK signalling pathway based on network pharmacology.

CONTEXT: Elian Granules have been applied in the treatment of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC) and achieved good results. However, its exact mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Elian granules in treating PLGC through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway based on network pharmacology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Through network pharmacological methods, the targets of the active component of Elian granules against PLGC were obtained. Subsequently, Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal, model, and Elian granule groups. The N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine comprehensive method was used to establish the PLGC rat model. The model and Elian granule groups were given normal saline and Elian granule aqueous solution (3.24 g/kg/d) intragastric administration, respectively, for 24 weeks. The pathological changes in gastric tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The protein expression of p-JNK and p-p38 was verified by western blotting. RESULTS: 394 and 4,395 targets were identified in Elian granules and PLGC, respectively. The 190 common targets were mainly enriched in MAPK signalling pathways. The gastric mucosal epithelium was still intact, the glands were arranged regularly, and no goblet cells or apparent inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in the Elian granule group. The expression of p-JNK and p-p38 protein of the Elian granule group (0.83 ± 0.08; 1.18 ± 0.40) was significantly higher than the model group (0.27 ± 0.14; 0.63 ± 0.14) (p < 0.01; p < 0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Elian granules may play a critical role in the treatment of rat PLGC by up-regulating the expression of p-JNK and p-p38 proteins in the MAPK signalling pathway, thus providing a scientific basis for clinical application.