Galangin alleviates gastric mucosal injury in rats with chronic atrophic gastritis by reducing ferroptosis.

Objective: Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a precancerous lesion and is the first stage in a multistep precancerous cascade that can lead to gastric adenocarcinoma. This study aimed to reveal the role and mechanism of galangin in CAG.

Methods: Rats were intragastrically administered a mixture of 2% sodium salicylate and 30% alcohol, forced to exercise, and fasted irregularly to establish CAG models. To explore the efficacy of galangin on CAG rats, we used Hericium erinaceus (HE) and omeprazole (Ome) as controls. The degree of gastric mucosal injury was assessed by H&E staining and immunohistochemistry. Perls staining and western blot analysis were used to assess iron content and enrichment of ferroptosis-related proteins. Reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide in the mucosa were visualized by probes. The morphology of cells was examined by transmission electron microscopy.

Results: Our data showed that galangin treatment alleviated gastric mucosal damage and reduced ferroptosis in CAG rats, manifested as decreased iron content, iron transporters and storage proteins, decreased ROS and mitochondrial superoxide, and partially restored cellular morphology. Of note, galangin at a high concentration had better treatment efficacy than HE but lower than Ome.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that galangin reduced gastric mucosal injury in CAG rats by inhibiting ferroptosis. These findings provide a theoretical basis for its clinical application and broaden its potential applications.