Data mining of acupoint selection patterns and network-based prediction of the mechanisms of core acupoints in the acupuncture treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis

Objective: This study aimed to identify acupoint selection patterns for acupuncture treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) through literature-based data mining, and to generate network-based hypotheses regarding the potential molecular mechanisms of the core acupoint combination. Methods: Literature on acupuncture treatment for CAG was systematically retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, EBSCO, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. After screening based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, a database was established. SPSS and SPSS Modeler software were used to analyze acupoint frequency, meridian distribution, specific point categories, association rules, and clustering patterns. Potential therapeutic targets were explored through network construction and pathway enrichment analysis to predict mechanisms of core acupoints. Results: A total of 203 eligible studies containing 224 acupuncture prescriptions were included, involving 63 acupoints with a total application count of 1,169. High-frequency acupoints included Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), Weishu (BL21), Pishu (BL20), and Neiguan (PC6). Core association rules included combinations such as “Pishu-Weishu” (BL20-BL21), “Zhongwan-Neiguan” (CV12-PC6), and “Zusanli-Neiguan” (ST36-PC6) (confidence ≥90%, support ≥20%). Cluster analysis yielded 8 valid clusters. Mechanistically, PPI network topology analysis identified core therapeutic targets including tumor protein p53 (TP53), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), STAT1, SMAD2, SMAD3, caspase 8 (CASP8), estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1), and tyrosine-protein kinase JAK1 (JAK1). GO and KEGG enrichment analyses predicted key signaling pathways, including AGE-RAGE, IL-17, PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT, and TNF pathways, primarily involving inflammation regulation, growth factor release, apoptosis inhibition, and antioxidant activity. Conclusion: Literature-based data mining identified ST36, CV12, BL21, BL20, and PC6 as the core acupoint combination most frequently used for CAG. Network-based analyses suggested that these acupoints may be associated with targets and pathways related to inflammatory regulation, epithelial repair, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. These findings provide molecular hypotheses for the use of acupuncture in treating CAG, and further in vivo and in vitro experiments and clinical studies are needed to verify these predictions.