Huopuxialing Decoction: A Promising Candidate for Precancerous Lesions of Gastric Cancer Treatment Based on Bioinformatics and Experimental Verification

Background: The Precancerous Lesion of Gastric Cancer (PLGC) is an early stage in the development of gastric cancer. The clinical application of HPXLD has been found to be effective in treating PLGC, but the mechanism of how HPXLD acts on PLGC is still unclear. Objective: The objectives of this study were to reveal the molecular mechanism of how HPXLD can be used to treat PLGC and investigate this mechanism through bioinformatics and experimental validation. Methods: PLGC-associated target genes were identified through bioinformatics analysis. A rat model of PLGC was induced using N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoquanidine (MNNG) in combination with ranitidine, hot saline, ethanol, and intermittent fasting, with interventions by HPXLD. The pathological alterations in gastric mucosa were assessed through Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot analyses were employed to evaluate the changes in expression levels of inflammation-related proteins. Results: After conducting bioinformatics analysis, it was found that there were 23 HPXLDPLGC crossover genes, which were significantly enriched in the IL-17 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. The results of HE showed that HPXLD was effective in improving gastric mucosal histopathological changes. Additionally, the IHC results demonstrated that HPXLD was able to downregulate the expression of IL-6, COX-2, MCP- 1, and MMP-9. Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that HPXLD was able to downregulate the expressions of IL-6, IL-17RA, ACT1, NF-κB, and TNF-α. Conclusion: HPXLD has been shown to improve PLGC by reducing the expression of inflammation- related proteins. This suggests that HPXLD may potentially be a treatment option for PLGC.