Chaihu Shugan Powder (CHSGP) may treat functional dyspepsia by reducing interstitial cells of cajal's mitophagy stimulated by CCCP, through the up-regulation of the PINK1/Parkin pathway.
The team designed an experiment where they first established a functional dyspepsia rat model in vivo using the tail-clamping stimulation technique. Gastric emptying rate, small intestinal propulsion rate test, H&E staining, and Immunohistochemistry were implemented to check the therapeutic impacts of the CHSGP on the rat model. The effects of CHSGP on CCCP-mediated ICC mitophagy were then studied in vitro using a multitude of scientific methods, including CCK8, Transmission electron microscope, immunofluorescence co-staining, Quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot.
The results showed that the CHSGP had positive effects, promoting gastric motility, and increasing the ICC numbers while regulating protein expression in the FD rats. Further investigations also revealed that CHSGP was seen to decrease protein expression in vitro. The study showed that CHSGP worked by elevating USP30 protein expression that subsequently led to the reduction of CCCP-stimulated ICC mitophagy by inhibiting activation of the PINK1/Parkin pathway. This hence suggests that CHSGP could potentially serve as an effective treatment for functional dyspepsia.
