Gastric Ulcer With Liver-Stomach Disharmony Protection by Coptidis Rhizoma: A Multi-Organ Metabolomics Study.

Coptidis Rhizoma (CR), used for digestive disorders, is commonly processed to mitigate its cold nature. Pharmacopeia-recorded concoctions include wine-processed CR (wCR, resolving excessive heat of the upper energizer), zingiberis rhizoma recens-processed CR (zCR, clearing gastric heat and harmonize the stomach) and evodiae fructus-processed CR (eCR, soothing the liver and harmonising the stomach). This study investigated the efficacy and mechanisms of CR and its processed products (eCR, zCR, wCR) against gastric ulcer with liver-stomach disharmony (GU-LSD), a significant clinical syndrome. Integrating pharmacodynamics and metabolomics, the research found that processing significantly enhanced anti-ulcer activity of CR. Specifically, eCR and zCR demonstrated superior efficacy compared to wCR and CR in reducing inflammation, suppressing gastric acid, strengthening mucosal defence, and enhancing antioxidant activity, linked to better recovery of key metabolites. Crucially, eCR uniquely restored hepatic energy metabolism and normalized bile secretion. These findings highlight the importance of processing and identify zCR/eCR as particularly effective for GU-LSD by targeting gastric/ gastric and hepatic dysfunction.