Abstract
Aurantio-obtusin is an anthraquinone derived from Cassia obtusifolia (cassiae semen). It is also used as a tool and a detection index for the identification of cassiae semen, as stipulated by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Anthraquinones, the main components in cassiae semen, have been reported to show hepatotoxicity. This study investigates the hepatotoxicity of aurantio-obtusin in male Sprague–Dawley rats. We randomly divided the animals into a blank control group and treated three test groups with different doses of aurantio-obtusin: Low dose (4 mg/kg), medium dose (40 mg/kg), and high dose (200 mg/kg). Each group was treated with aurantio-obtusin for 28 days, whereas the control group was administered an equal volume of 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC-Na) aqueous solution. Subsequently, we conducted biochemical, hematological, and pathological investigations and determined the weight of different organs. We used serum metabolomics to identify possible biomarkers related to hepatotoxicity. The low-dose group showed no significant liver injury, whereas the medium- and high-dose groups manifested obvious liver injury. Compared with the control group, the test groups showed an increase in alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels. The liver organ coefficient also significantly increased. Additionally, we found significant changes in the hematological indices. Metabolomics analysis showed that aurantio-obtusin induced 28 endogenous markers related to liver injury. Our data indicate that aurantio-obtusin induces hepatotoxicity in rat liver in a dose-dependent manner and is mediated by pathways involving bile acids, fatty acids, amino acids, and energy metabolism. In particular, changes in bile acid content during treatment with therapeutic agents containing aurantio-obtusin deserve increased attention.
Highlights
Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) are a national treasure, with a 5000-year history, and are characterized by remarkable clinical efficacy and few adverse reactions
The results showed that most lipids and amino acids were downregulated, and some bile acids were upregulated, suggesting that the metabolism of rats was disturbed by aurantio-obtusin treatment
In recent years, cases of liver injury caused by anthraquinones have been reported occasionally, which has led to public concern about the safety of anthraquinone-containing TCMs, especially those used as food and medicinal products
Summary
Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) are a national treasure, with a 5000-year history, and are characterized by remarkable clinical efficacy and few adverse reactions. It is a challenge to develop TCMs for worldwide acceptance [1,2]. The material basis of TCMs is unknown because of the lack of specific diagnostic indicators. The safety of TCMs cannot be guaranteed, which in turn limits its clinical applications. The Berberine Incident [3,4] in Singapore and the incident of Polygonum multiflorum [5,6,7,8] in China are well known, and these incidents have adversely affected the safety and clinical application of TCMs. Despite historical insights into the safety and nontoxicity of TCMs, Molecules 2019, 24, 3452; doi:10.3390/molecules24193452 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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