Discovery of myristic acid, from chick early amniotic fluid for the treatment of acute gastric ulcers by targeting pyruvate carboxylase to improve TCA cycle.

Gastric ulcer (GU) is a common digestive disease. We recently identified early chicken embryo amniotic fluid (ceAF) as a potent antioxidant, which exerts effects via its active components. This study demonstrates the potential of ceAF and one of its active components, myristic acid (MA), as GU protectants. UPLC-MS and GC-MS identified the key components and fatty acid contents in ceAF. In absolute ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer (AGU) mice, ceAF and MA treatment significantly reduced ulcer area, while improving histopathology and inflammatory factor infiltration. Further, proteomics was used to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which MA ameliorates AGU: the gastroprotective potential of MA is mediated by targeting pyruvate carboxylase (PCX) to improve the Tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle). Our findings indicate that ceAF and MA show potential as candidate substances for GU prevention in preclinical studies, providing a new direction for the development of functional foods.