Revealing the Therapeutic Targets and Mechanism of Baicalin for Anti-chronic Gastritis Through TMT Proteomic Approach

Background: Baicalin (BCL) is a natural compound with beneficial activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory. To investigate the therapeutic action of baicalin treatment in ethanol-induced chronic gastritis. Here, we investigated the proteome changes in the gastric tissue to elucidate the therapeutic targets of baicalin in chronic gastritis by TMT-based quantitative proteomics.ResultsUsing TMT-based quantitative proteomics, a total of the 4,452 proteins were identified and quantified in the gastric antrum tissue of Sprague–Dawley rats. Of these, 107 differentially expressed proteins, including 44 up-regulated and 63 down-regulated proteins, were uncovered in the baicalin-treated group as compared with the untreated group with ethanol-induced gastritis. Furthermore, the expression of TPM2, GIMAP4, and Mpc1 was validated using Western Blot. Baicalin could decrease the production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), while increase the expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). Notably, protein-protein interaction network analysis revealed the widespread interactions mediated by baicalin.ConclusionsWe investigated the effects and potential mechanism of baicalin in chronic gastritis. Proteomic technology was used to explore baicalin-affected proteins and some signaling pathways. The results may provide important insights into the discovery of potential target proteins for the treatment of chronic gastritis.