1.1. Objective: Qianliexin Capsule (QLX), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used to treat Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis (CNP) in China. Here, metabolic profiling was utilized to clarify the bio-targets of QLX in CNP treatment. Methods:An estradiol-induced prostatitis rat model was used to mimic the hormonal imbalance-induced CNP. The urine and serum were collected to analyze metabolic profiles by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Results:An anti-inflammatory role for QLX was seen in the estradiol-induced prostatitis rats, and the Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) were relieved by QLX. The unique metabolic profiling in CNP was significantly changed by addition of QLX. Thirty-nine metabolites identified in serum and urine, that are involved in multiply pathways, were significantly reversed by QLX in the CNP rats. Among them, glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and fructose and mannose metabolic pathways were the most significantly influenced by QLX and were closely associated with the anti-inflammatory role of QLX in CNP. Conclusion: The changed metabolic profile after QLX addition may be associated with the pharmacologic function of QLX in CNP.

Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a common gastrointestinal disease which has been considered as precancerous lesions of gastric carcinoma. Previously, electro-acupuncture stimulation has been shown to be effective in ameliorating symptoms of CAG. However the underlying mechanism of this beneficial treatment is yet to be established. In the present study, an integrated histopathological examination along with molecular biological assay, as well as 1H NMR analysis of multiple biological samples (urine, serum, stomach, cortex and medulla) were employed to systematically assess the pathology of CAG and therapeutic effect of electro-acupuncture stimulation at Sibai (ST 2), Liangmen (ST 21), and Zusanli (ST 36) acupoints located in the stomach meridian using a rat model of CAG. The current results showed that CAG caused comprehensive metabolic alterations including the TCA cycle, glycolysis, membrane metabolism and catabolism, gut microbiota-related metabolism. On the other hand, electro-acupuncture treatment was found able to normalize a number of CAG-induced metabolomics changes by alleviating membrane catabolism, restoring function of neurotransmitter in brain and partially reverse the CAG-induced perturbation in gut microbiota metabolism. These findings provided new insights into the biochemistry of CAG and mechanism of the therapeutic effect of electro-acupuncture stimulations.

Some studies have proved that both acupuncture and moxibustion are very effective for the treatment of CAG. However, little is known about therapeutic mechanism of electro-acupuncture and moxibustion on CAG as well as the difference between them. On the other hand, metabolomics is a ‘top-down’ approach to understand metabolic changes of organisms caused by disease or interventions in holistic context, which consists with the holistic thinking of electro-acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. In this study, the difference of therapeutic mechanism between electro-acupuncture and moxibustion on CAG rats was investigated by a 1H NMR-based metabolomics analysis of multiple biological samples (serum, stomach, cerebral cortex and medulla) coupled with pathological examination and molecular biological assay. For all sample types, both electro-acupuncture and moxibustion intervention showed beneficial effects by restoring many CAG-induced metabolic changes involved in membrane metabolism, energy metabolism and function of neurotransmitters. Notably, the moxibustion played an important role in CAG treatment mainly by regulating energy metabolism in serum, while main acting site of electro-acupuncture treatment was nervous system in stomach and brain. These findings are helpful to facilitate the therapeutic mechanism elucidating of electro-acupuncture and moxibustion on CAG rats. Metabolomics is promising in mechanisms study for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Background: Electroacupuncture is a common treatment for chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in China. We aimed to determine the effects of electroacupuncture at zusanli (ST36) on intestinal microbiota in CAG rats.Methods: In total, 42 SD rats were randomly divided into normal (NC, 10 rats) and model (MG, 32 rats) groups. Rats in the MG group were established as CAG disease models. After that, the rats in the MG group were randomly divided into CAG (10 rats), electroacupuncture (EA, 10 rats), and Vitacoenzyme (Vit, 10 rats) groups. Rats in the NC and CAG groups were subjected to a 30-min/d confinement for 4 weeks. Rats in the EA group were given electroacupuncture at zusanli for 30 min/d for 4 weeks. Rats in the Vit group were given Vitacoenzyme solution 10 ml/(kg d) for 4 weeks. Histopathological changes in the gastric mucosa were observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the gene expression level of p53, Bcl-2, and c-myc was determined using the qPCR method. The 16S rDNA sequencing technique was used to determine structural changes and relative abundance expression of intestinal flora.Results: Compared with the NC group, gastric mucosal pathology in the CAG group revealed significant inflammatory infiltration, and the gastric mucosal lesions in the electroacupuncture group were improved remarkably; the expression of p53 and c-myc genes in the CAG group increased (p < 0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2 genes decreased (p < 0.05) in the EA group, that of p53 and c-myc genes decreased (p < 0.05), and that of Bcl-2 genes increased (p < 0.05). The abundance of bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Desulfobacterota, and Bacteroides pectinophilus group in the CAG group increased (p < 0.05), while that of bacteria such as Gastranaerophilales, Romboutsia, and Blautia decreased (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Desulfobacterota and Helicobacter in the EA group decreased (p < 0.05), while that of probiotic bacteria such as Oscillospirales, Romboutsia, and Christensenellaceae increased (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Electroacupuncture at zusanli can promote the repair of pathological damage to the gastric mucosa in rats with CAG, and the mechanism might relate to the reduction in the relative abundance of harmful bacteria, increase in the relative abundance of intestinal probiotics, and regulation of the intestinal microbiota.