Jilin Ginseng Academy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
Molecules. 2023 May 12;28(10):4064. doi: 10.3390/molecules28104064.
Testicular dysfunction (TDF) is characterized by testosterone deficiency and is caused by oxidative stress injury in Leydig cells. A natural fatty amide named N-benzylhexadecanamide (NBH), derived from cruciferous maca, has been shown to promote testosterone production. Our study aims to reveal the anti-TDF effect of NBH and explore its potential mechanism in vitro. This study examined the effects of HO on cell viability and testosterone levels in mouse Leydig cells (TM3) under oxidative stress. In addition, cell metabolomics analysis based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS showed that NBH was mainly involved in arginine biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, the TCA cycle and other metabolic pathways by affecting 23 differential metabolites, including arginine and phenylalanine. Furthermore, we also performed network pharmacological analysis to observe the key protein targets in NBH treatment. The results showed that its role was to up-regulate ALOX5, down-regulate CYP1A2, and play a role in promoting testicular activity by participating in the steroid hormone biosynthesis pathway. In summary, our study not only provides new insights into the biochemical mechanisms of natural compounds in the treatment of TDF, but also provides a research strategy that integrates cell metabolomics and network pharmacology in order to promote the screening of new drugs for the treatment of TDF.
睾丸功能障碍(TDF)的特征是睾酮缺乏,是由莱迪希细胞的氧化应激损伤引起的。一种从十字花科玛咖中提取的天然脂肪酸酰胺 N-苄基十六酰胺(NBH),已被证明可促进睾酮的产生。我们的研究旨在揭示 NBH 的抗 TDF 作用,并探讨其在体外的潜在机制。本研究考察了 HO 在氧化应激下对小鼠睾丸间质细胞(TM3)活力和睾酮水平的影响。此外,基于 UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS 的细胞代谢组学分析表明,NBH 主要通过影响包括精氨酸和苯丙氨酸在内的 23 种差异代谢物,参与精氨酸生物合成、氨酰-tRNA 生物合成、苯丙氨酸、酪氨酸和色氨酸生物合成、三羧酸循环和其他代谢途径,从而发挥作用。此外,我们还进行了网络药理学分析,以观察 NBH 治疗中的关键蛋白靶标。结果表明,其作用是上调 ALOX5,下调 CYP1A2,并通过参与类固醇激素生物合成途径发挥促进睾丸活动的作用。总之,我们的研究不仅为天然化合物治疗 TDF 的生化机制提供了新的见解,还为整合细胞代谢组学和网络药理学的研究策略提供了新的思路,以促进治疗 TDF 的新药筛选。