Chen Liang, Hu Chun, Hood Molly, Kan Juntao, Gan Xiaona, Zhang Xue, Zhang Yi, Du Jun
Nutrilite Health Institute, 720 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
Nutrilite Health Institute, 5600 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, CA 90621, USA.
Int J Genomics. 2020 Apr 9;2020:9054192. doi: 10.1155/2020/9054192. eCollection 2020.
Herbal pairs are used as a bridge between single herb and polyherbal formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to provide rationale for complicated TCM formulas. The effectiveness and rationality of TCM herbal pairs have been widely applied as a strategy for dietary supplements. However, due to the complexity of the phytochemistry of individual and combinations of herbal materials, it is difficult to reveal their effective and synergistic mechanisms from a molecular or systematic point of view. In order to address this question, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis and System Pharmacology tools were applied to explore the mechanism of action, using a White Peony () and Licorice ()-based dietary supplement. A total of sixteen chemical constituents of White Peony and Licorice were isolated and identified, which interact with 73 liver protection-related targets. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were then performed along with network analysis. Results showed that the synergistic mechanism of the White Peony and Licorice herbal pair was associated with their coregulation of bile secretion and ABC transporter pathways. In addition, Licorice exhibits a specific response to drug and xenobiotic metabolism pathways, whereas White Peony responds to Toll-like receptor signaling, C-type lectin receptor signaling, IL-17 signaling, and TNF signaling pathways, resulting in the prevention of hepatocyte apoptosis and the reduction of immune and inflammation-mediated liver damage. These findings suggest that a White Peony and Licorice herbal pair supplement would have a liver-protecting benefit through complimentary and synergistic mechanisms. This approach provides a new path to explore herbal compatibility in dietary supplements derived from TCM theory.
中药药对作为单味中药与复方中药之间的桥梁，为复杂的中药复方提供理论依据。中药药对的有效性和合理性已被广泛应用于膳食补充剂策略中。然而，由于草药材料个体及其组合的植物化学复杂性，从分子或系统角度揭示其有效和协同机制较为困难。为了解决这个问题，采用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱（UPLC-Q-TOF/MS）分析和系统药理学工具，以基于白芍（）和甘草（）的膳食补充剂为研究对象，探索其作用机制。共分离鉴定出白芍和甘草的16种化学成分，它们与73个肝脏保护相关靶点相互作用。随后进行了基因本体论（Gene Ontology）和京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）通路富集分析以及网络分析。结果表明，白芍和甘草药对的协同机制与其对胆汁分泌和ABC转运蛋白通路的共同调节有关。此外，甘草对药物和外源性物质代谢通路表现出特异性反应，而白芍则对Toll样受体信号通路、C型凝集素受体信号通路、IL-17信号通路和TNF信号通路有反应，从而预防肝细胞凋亡，减少免疫和炎症介导的肝损伤。这些发现表明，白芍和甘草药对补充剂通过互补和协同机制具有肝脏保护作用。这种方法为探索源自中医理论的膳食补充剂中的草药配伍提供了一条新途径。
