Dear editor

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your attention and in-depth analysis of our research work.^1,2 Your valuable suggestions are of great significance for the determination and improvement of our subsequent research directions.

In the preliminary research, we do have some deficiencies. On the one hand, we have not been able to fully explain the mechanism by which lipid and lipid-like compound metabolic perturbations contribute to the etiology of the Damp Phlegm (DP) pattern in chronic gastritis (CG). At the same time, the functions of the identified sphingolipid metabolites (such as sphinganine 1-phosphate and sphingomyelin) in the DP pattern have not been thoroughly studied. In the following research process, we will actively carry out animal experiments and cell experiments. Through these experiments, we will deeply explore the specific pathways and interactions involved in metabolic changes, comprehensively analyze their roles in the pathogenesis of the DP pattern, and provide a solid theoretical basis for disease progression research and targeted treatment strategies; at the same time, we will precisely explore the functions of sphinganine 1-phosphate, sphingomyelin and other metabolites in the DP pattern, clarify their specific associations with CG, and fill the current knowledge gap in this field.

We also fully recognize the impact of sample size and population distribution on the universality of research results. In the future, we will make every effort to prepare larger-scale, multi-center research projects and widely include populations of different ethnicities and regions, so as to more effectively verify the robustness and applicability of biomarkers and enhance the promotion value of research results.

In terms of research methods, we fully agree that integrating multiple omics approaches is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of CG. Our team has accumulated certain research experience in other omics fields such as metabolomics. Subsequently, we will actively promote the joint research of tongue coating metabolomics with genomics, proteomics, and metagenomics. We hope to reveal the internal relationships between CG and the DP pattern from multiple dimensions, assist in the discovery of early diagnostic markers, and overcome the challenges faced by traditional diagnostics.

In addition, regarding the diagnostic process, we did adopt the method of consensus diagnosis by two senior Chinese medicine experts with advanced professional titles in actual operation, which has been the practice followed in our team’s series of studies. However, it was not described in detail in this published article, which has caused confusion to readers. We deeply apologize for this. In future research, we will definitely clarify the diagnostic process to ensure the transparency and repeatability of the research method and improve the clinical validity of the research.

Once again, we sincerely thank you for your suggestions and look forward to achieving more complete and valuable results in the subsequent research.