Abstract
As a classic prescription, Huangqin Tang (HQT) has been widely applied to treat ulcerative colitis (UC), although its pharmacological mechanisms are not clear. In this study, urine metabolomics was first analysed to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of HQT in UC rats induced by TNBS. We identified 28 potential biomarkers affected by HQT that might cause changes in urine metabolism in UC rats, mapped the network of metabolic pathways, and revealed how HQT affects metabolism of UC rats. The results showed that UC affects amino acid metabolism and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and impairs the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle). UC induced inflammatory and gastrointestinal reactions by inhibiting the transport of fatty acids and disrupting amino acid metabolism. HQT plays key roles via regulating the level of biomarkers in the metabolism of amino acids, lipids, and so on, normalizing metabolic disorders. In addition, histopathology and other bioinformatics analysis further confirm that HQT altered UC rat physiology and pathology, ultimately affecting metabolic function of UC rats.
Highlights
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common inflammatory bowel disease, with abdominal pain, diarrhea, mucus, and pus, sustained or repeated as the main symptom [1]. e disease is considered to be a precancerous lesion of colon cancer, and it has been listed as one of the refractory diseases by the World Health Organization
liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS)-based metabolomics has been frequently applied to the toxicity study of pure compounds, extracts, and compound prescriptions and is a good tool to evaluate toxicity of natural products systematically and Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine explore the mechanisms of toxicities
Huangqin Tang (HQT) Promoted Recovery of the UC Rats. e UC rats induced by TNBS showed a series of symptoms within 3 days, such as apathetic, drowsiness, poor appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, and purulent stools
Summary
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common inflammatory bowel disease, with abdominal pain, diarrhea, mucus, and pus, sustained or repeated as the main symptom [1]. e disease is considered to be a precancerous lesion of colon cancer, and it has been listed as one of the refractory diseases by the World Health Organization. TCM has the advantage of fewer adverse effects and is increasingly attracting researchers’ attention for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases [6]. LC-MS-based metabolomics has been frequently applied to the toxicity study of pure compounds, extracts, and compound prescriptions and is a good tool to evaluate toxicity of natural products systematically and Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine explore the mechanisms of toxicities. UPLC-based metabonomics was employed to analyse the key endogenous metabolites in the body fluids, which is increasingly considered as a novel diagnostic approach in clinical studies including liver, lung, gastrointestinal, diabetes, urogenital, and other diseases. Identification of clinically relevant metabolites that may be regarded as potential new biomarkers will help with the evaluation of prognosis and contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies [17]. The effects of HQT on the metabolites of UC rats were analyzed, and the possible metabolic pathways in rats were revealed to further elucidate the mechanism of HQT in the treatment of UC
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