Proteomics and Metabolomics-Based Investigation of Local Microenvironmental Changes in Sensitized Acupoint Compared to Non-Sensitized Point Among Patients with Chronic Atrophic Gastritis: A Cross-Sectional Study Protocol

Abstract: Acupoint sensitization is a key manifestation of disease response and plays a critical role in determining the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment. Chronic atrophic gastritis, characterized by persistent and pronounced acupoint sensitization, serves as an ideal model for studying this phenomenon. We aim to link local molecular alterations at sensitized acupoints with the pain-sensitization phenotype, thereby elucidating the comprehensive molecular mechanisms underlying acupoint sensitization and ultimately providing mechanistic guidance for how acupuncture exerts therapeutic effects in the clinical treatment of CAG. This study will recruit and sampling 30 patients with chronic atrophic gastritis who are aged between 40 and 65 years and whose CV12 and non-acupoint pain threshold are greater than 10N, aiming to explore the local metabolomics and proteomics changes in the acupoint in these patients. The non-acupoint located in the lateral abdomen, corresponding to the same spinal segment as the CV12 acupoint, will serve as the control group. We expect to find that, compared with the non-acupoint group, the content of pain-related metabolites and proteins in the tissue fluid of the CV12 acupoint will increase. These changes are anticipated to be correlated with the pain sensitization phenotype. The study will comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (No. 2024BZYLL1006). All participants will undergo standardized training on the study protocol, and informed consent will be obtained from all patients. Trial registration : ITMCTR2025000156; International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry ( https://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn/mgt/project/user/user-project-view/C96AC314-9A6A-44A4-ABD1-B602A84F5792 ). Keywords: acupoint sensitization, chronic atrophic gastritis, protocol, pain, proteomics, metabolomics