ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1634410
Gut microbiome modulation by Weifuchun Capsules alleviates chronic atrophic gastritis: A combined microbiota and metabolomics approach
Provisionally accepted- 1Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- 2Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Weifuchun Capsule (WFC), a traditional Chinese medicinal formula containing Panax ginseng (red ginseng), Rabdosia rubescens, and Fructus Aurantii, is widely used clinically for the management of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG).Although previous clinical evidence has demonstrated the efficacy of WFC in alleviating symptoms and improving gastric mucosal health, the precise mechanisms, particularly those mediated by gut microbiota, remain poorly understood. Given the crucial role of intestinal microbial dysbiosis in gastrointestinal disorders, exploring the microbiota-dependent pharmacological mechanisms of WFC is essential for understanding its therapeutic benefits in CAG.We established a rat model of CAG to investigate the microbiota-associated mechanisms underlying the effects of WFC treatment. Integrated microbiomemetabolome analyses were performed, combining 16S rRNA gene sequencing for gut microbiota profiling and untargeted metabolomics to detect shifts in metabolic pathways. Network pharmacology identified bioactive compounds from 99 characterized components in WFC, with molecular docking analyses further validating these findings. Correlations between gut microbial composition and metabolic profiles were assessed using Spearman's analysis, and western blotting was employed to evaluate inflammation-associated proteins.Results: Network pharmacology screening identified 10 bioactive components from the 99 constituents present in WFC. Treatment with WFC significantly restored gut microbiota diversity and composition in CAG rats, notably enriching four bacterial families and ten genera. Metabolomic profiling revealed substantial regulation of glycerophospholipid and arachidonic acid metabolism, pathways intricately linked to microbial activity and gastrointestinal inflammation.Our findings highlight that modulation of gut microbiota composition is central to the therapeutic effects of WFC on CAG. WFC exerts its gastroprotective activity primarily by reshaping specific gut microbial populations and subsequently normalizing associated metabolic pathways. This microbiome-oriented perspective provides new insights into traditional herbal medicine mechanisms, emphasizing the critical need to understand microbiota-mediated therapeutic strategies in gastrointestinal disorders.
Keywords: Chronic atrophic gastritis, Gut Microbiota, Network Pharmacology, untargeted metabolomics, Weifuchun capsules
Received: 27 May 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xie, Wang, Zhang, Li, Zhang, Jin and Du. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yiran Jin, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.