Zhu Hui, Duan Yu, Qin Kunming, Jin Junjie, Liu Xiao, Cai Baochang
School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Engineering Center of State Ministry of Education for Standardization of Chinese Medicine Processing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Front Pharmacol. 2022 Jul 19;13:907831. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.907831. eCollection 2022.
Prepared rhubarb was obtained by steaming raw rhubarb with wine. Different from raw rhubarb with a purgative effect, prepared rhubarb shows effects of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. However, the mechanisms of its action through regulating endogenous metabolites remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore active chemical components in prepared rhubarb for its activity on noxious heat blood stasis syndrome (NHBS) by comprehensive metabolomics profiling. Plant extracts usually show their activities in a synergistic way; therefore, integrated omics was developed as a rational way for a better understanding of their biological effects and potential active compounds. The activities of prepared rhubarb were evaluated by biochemical and metabolomic analysis; meanwhile, serum chemical profiles were sought using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Gray correlation analysis (GCA) was used for calculating the underlying correlations between them. The metabolomics profiles of rat plasma from model and control groups were significantly different, with 31 endogenous metabolites changed by NHBS. Then, after the administration of prepared rhubarb, 18 of them were regulated. Multiple metabolic pathways were disturbed after NHBS modeling and restored by prepared rhubarb, among which had a greater impact on sphingolipid metabolism. A total of 28 compounds from prepared rhubarb absorbed into the plasma were identified, including nine prototypes and 19 metabolites. Statistical results suggested that rhein and its metabolites accounted for half of the top 10 active compounds in prepared rhubarb for its biomedical activities. This study presented evidence for the therapeutic effects and active chemicals of prepared rhubarb on NHBS in the way of metabolomics.
酒制大黄是通过用酒蒸制生大黄而获得的。与具有泻下作用的生大黄不同，酒制大黄具有活血化瘀的功效。然而，其通过调节内源性代谢物发挥作用的机制尚不清楚。本研究的目的是通过综合代谢组学分析，探索酒制大黄中对热毒血瘀证（NHBS）具有活性的活性化学成分。植物提取物通常以协同方式发挥其活性；因此，整合组学被开发为一种合理的方法，以更好地理解其生物学效应和潜在的活性化合物。通过生化和代谢组学分析评估酒制大黄的活性；同时，使用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱仪（UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS）寻找血清化学图谱。采用灰色关联分析（GCA）计算它们之间的潜在相关性。模型组和对照组大鼠血浆的代谢组学图谱存在显著差异，NHBS导致31种内源性代谢物发生变化。然后，给予酒制大黄后，其中18种代谢物得到调节。NHBS建模后多种代谢途径受到干扰，而酒制大黄使其恢复，其中对鞘脂代谢的影响较大。共鉴定出28种从酒制大黄吸收到血浆中的化合物，包括9种原型化合物和19种代谢物。统计结果表明，大黄酸及其代谢物占酒制大黄生物医学活性前10位活性化合物的一半。本研究以代谢组学的方式为酒制大黄对NHBS的治疗作用和活性化学成分提供了证据。
