Research on serum metabolomics of ovariectomized rats and intervention effect of Cuscuta chinensis on metabolic pattern.

As a traditional Chinese medicine of invigorating the kidney, Cuscuta chinensis (CC) can be applied in improving the deficiency of kidney qi in menopausal women and regulating the level of estrogen. Previously, it was found that the ethanol extract of CC had an estrogen-like effect. In this study, the metabolic profile and metabolic pathways of rats in sham, ovariectomized model and CC groups were analyzed using UPLC-TOFMS-based metabolomics and the pattern recognition technology. The serum endogenouse metabolites could be well differentiated in different group, indicating significant differences of metabolic profiles. CC had an reverse adjustment effect on 14 differential metabolites of ovariectomized rats, including sinapyl alcohol, deoxycholic acid, prostaglandin B, prostaglandin I, dihydrosphingosine, choline, pentadecanoic acid, arachidonic acid, 1-stearoyl-Sn-Glycerol-3-Phosphocholine, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, vaccenic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid. Furthermore, these differential metabolites were categorized into several major pathways, such as biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, lycerophospholipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism. Therefore, it could be concluded that the estrogen-like effect of CC was related to the lipid metabolism to some extent. The research results provide useful help for the in-depth research and development of CC.