Investigation of the Protective Effect of Red‐Light‐Intervened <scp><i>Dendrobium officinale</i></scp> on Rats With Gastric Injury Based on Serum Metabolomics

This study aimed to compare both the protective effects and metabolic mechanisms of red-light-cultured Dendrobium officinale (RL-DO) and natural-light-cultured D. officinale (NL-DO) on gastric injury in rats. Rats were divided into control, model, omeprazole, RL-DO, and NL-DO groups. After 24-day treatment, gastric mucosal pathology, serum biomarkers (Gas, MTL, and SS), oxidative stress markers (SOD, MDA, and NO), apoptosis-related proteins (Bax/Bcl-2 and Caspase-3), and serum metabolomics were analyzed via HE staining, ELISA, Western blot, TUNEL, and UHPLC-Q-Exactive Plus-MS. Both RL-DO and NL-DO significantly improved gastric mucosal damage, upregulated SOD/NO, downregulated MDA, reduced apoptosis, and modulated Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 (p < 0.05/0.01). RL-DO exhibited superior efficacy in enhancing body weight, water intake, fecal moisture, and NO levels. Metabolomics revealed RL-DO reversed 46 metabolites (vs. NL-DO's 37) and targeted key pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism, apoptosis regulation, and cAMP signaling. RL-DO uniquely regulated arginine/proline metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis. Both RL-DO and NL-DO protect against gastric injury, with RL-DO showing enhanced efficacy, likely due to broader metabolic pathway modulation.