Metabonomic analysis of serum reveals antifatigue effects of Yi Guan Jian on fatigue mice using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Yi Guan Jian (YGJ), one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicines, has been reported to possess significant antifatigue effects. However, the mechanisms underlying its antifatigue effects remain largely unresolved. In this study, a metabonomics approach, involving gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and a multivariate statistical technique, was developed to estimate the extent to which YGJ alleviated the exhausting swimming-induced fatigue of mice. High-dose treatment with YGJ significantly extended the swimming time of fatigued mice. Significant alterations of metabolites involving amino acids, organic acids and carbohydrates were observed in the serum of fatigued mice, which were reversed by YGJ treatment while biochemical indexes returned to normal. These metabolic changes suggest that the antifatigue effect of YGJ is associated with the impairement of amino acid, organic acids and carbohydrates. It also appears that YGJ can induce significant metabolic alterations independent of the exhausting swimming-induced metabolic changes. The significantly altered metabolites induced by YGJ intervention include l-2-amino-acetoacetate, taurine, fumaric acid, malic acid, oxoadipic acid and l-aspartate, all of which are associated with antifatigue properties. This suggests that YGJ exerts chemopreventive effects via antifatigue mechanisms.