Further evidence for sustainable alternatives to replace threatened animal horn based on quantitative proteomic analysis

Saiga antelope horn suppresses febrile seizures in rats by regulating neurotransmitters and the arachidonic acid pathway

BACKGROUND

Saiga antelope horn (SAH) is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating febrile seizure (FS) with precise efficacy, but its mechanism of action and functional substances are still unclear. Given the need for further research on SAH, our group conducted studies to elucidate its mechanisms and active substances.

METHODS

An FS rat pup model was constructed through intraperitoneal injection of LPS and hyperthermia induction. Behavioural indicators of seizures, hippocampal histopathological alterations, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and hippocampal levels of neurotransmitters were observed and measured to investigate the effects of SAH on FS model rats. Hippocampal metabolomics and network pharmacology analyses were conducted to reveal the differential metabolites, key peptides and pathways involved in the suppression of FS by SAH.

RESULTS

SAH suppressed FS, decreased the inflammatory response and regulated the Glu-GABA balance. Metabolomic analysis revealed 13 biomarkers of FS, of which SAH improved the levels of 8 differential metabolites. Combined with network pharmacology, a "biomarker-core target-key peptide" network was constructed. The peptides of SAH, such as YGQL and LTGGF, could exert therapeutic effects via the arachidonic acid pathway. Molecular docking and ELISA results indicated that functional peptides of SAH could bind to PTGS2 target, inhibiting the generation of AA and its metabolites in hippocampal samples.

CONCLUSION

In summary, the functional peptides contained in SAH are the main material basis for the treatment of FS, potentially acting through neurotransmitter regulation and the arachidonic acid pathway.

Application for proteomics analysis technology in studying animal-derived traditional Chinese medicine: A review

Different therapeutically active ingredients, from plants, animals, and mineral sources, are prescribed as traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). TCMs, from animal sources, are rich in proteins and peptides. Different advanced proteomics technologies, such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), multi-dimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ), have been applied to analyze TCMs, from animal sources. This paper reviews the common proteomic techniques for analyzing animal - derived TCMs. Various scientific studies have reported the application of proteomics for locating drug targets, identifying active components, and elucidating the mechanisms of action of animal - derived TCMs. However, these researches are still at the preliminary stage. This review has also discussed the existing challenges and future directions in this field of research.

Comparison of the peptidome released from keratins in Saiga antelope horn and goat horn under simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Goat horn (Caprae Hircus Cornu, GH) has been used as a substitute for Saiga antelope horn (Saigae Tataricae Cornu, SAH) in the clinic and the pharmaceutical industry. In the present study, peptides released from SAH and GH under simulated gastric and intestinal digestion were identified. The results showed that most of the peptides released from SAH and GH under simulated gastrointestinal digestion were hydrophilic, and over 75% of the peptides from keratins (KRTs) were hydrophilic. In total, over 58% of the identified peptides were released from KRTs, and were from the four main regions of KRTs. The peptide features and the peptide release profiles from KRTs in SAH and GH were similar, which may provide a method for the identification of sustainable alternatives to replace the threatened SAH, and provide further evidence of the feasibility of using GH as a replacement for SAH based on their peptidomic analysis.