Isomeric flavonoid aglycones derived from Epimedii Folium exerted different intensities in anti-osteoporosis through OPG/RANKL protein targets

Targeting bone homeostasis regulation: potential of traditional Chinese medicine flavonoids in the treatment of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic disease characterized by disrupted bone formation/resorption and homeostasis. Flavonoids extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal plants regulate bone homeostasis by intervening in differentiating bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, balancing the bone immune system, inhibiting oxidative stress response, and reversing iron overload. The target molecules and signaling pathways, such as Wnt/β-catenin and OPG/RANKL/RANK, directly affect osteoblast/osteoclast activity, exhibiting significant potential in the treatment of OP. Therefore, this study presents a systematic review of the recent literature to provide comprehensive information on the traditional Chinese medicine flavonoids involved in the regulation of bone homeostasis. Also, the molecular mechanisms and pharmacological uses of these metabolites are summarized, and their clinical translation and development potential are discussed.

Exploring the boost of steaming with wine on Ligustri Lucidi Fructus in treating postmenopausal osteoporosis based on superior "multi-component structure" and iron/bone metabolism coregulation

BACKGROUND

Clinical studies indicated that postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) often accompanied by iron overload risk factor, which exacerbated bone metabolism disorders and accelerated PMOP. Previous research found that multicomponent in Ligustri Lucidi Fructus (FLL) or wine-steamed FLL (WFLL) acted on the common targets of iron overload and PMOP simultaneously, which indicated that FLL and WFLL probably regulated iron/bone metabolism dually. Additionally, WFLL had more superior effect according to the theory of Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

PURPOSE

To reveal the "superior multi-component structure (SMCS)" and its molecular mechanisms in parallelly down-regulating iron overload and rescuing bone metabolism by WFLL.

DESIGNS AND METHODS

HPLC fingerprinting was established to compare the chemical profiles of FLL and WFLL; Then, the chemical compositions and quality markers of FLL and WFLL were analyzed by UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS coupled with OPLS-DA; the dynamic contents of quality markers and the multi-component structure at different wine steaming times (WST) were simultaneously determined by HPLC-DAD. Meanwhile, the dynamic efficacy of FLL at different WST were hunt by systematic zebrafish model. Subsequently, potential mechanism of WFLL in treating PMOP accompanied with iron overload was obtained from network pharmacology (NP) and molecular docking (MD). Finally, zebrafish and ovariectomy rat model were carried out to validate this potential mechanism.

RESULTS

HPLC fingerprints similarity of 15 batches in FLL and WFLL were among 0.9-1.0. 126 compositions were identified, including 58 iridoids, 25 terpenes, 30 phenylethanoids, 7 flavonoids and 6 others. 20 quality markers associated with WFLL was revealed, and the ratio of phenylethanols: Iridoids: Triterpenes (P/I/T) was converted from 1: 15: 4.5 to 1: 0.8: 0.9 during steaming (0 - 24 h) calculated by the quantification of 11 quality markers; the bone mineralization and motor performance of zebrafish larvae indicated that the optimum efficacy of WFLL at 12 h (p < 0.05) in which the SMCS of P/I/T was converted to 1: 4: 1.8. NP discovered that BMP-Smad pathway is one of the potential mechanisms of FLL in anti PMOP and then regulated bone formation and iron overload simultaneously. MD revealed that 17 active ingredients and 10 core targets genes could spontaneously bind with appropriate affinity. Rats model verified that FLL and WFLL significantly reversed PMOP, based on the improvement in bone formation indexes (ALP, OPG, OGN), iron metabolism indicators (hepcidin, ferritin), bone microstructure (BMD, BV/TV, Tb. Th, Tb. N); Moreover, WFLL significant enhanced reversal effect in anti-PMOP compared to FLL (p < 0.05). FLL and WFLL increased genes and proteins expression (Hep, BMP-6, p-Smad1/5, Smad4) related to BMP-Smad pathway compared with model group, and WFLL was more superior than FLL (p< 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The SMCS of FLL was optimized by wine-steam, WFLL represented a dual effect in downregulating iron overload and promoting bone formation, and the BMP-Smad pathway is one of the potential molecular mechanisms.

Screening of superior anti-osteoporotic flavonoids from Epimedii Folium with dual effects of reversing iron overload and promoting osteogenesis

Iron overload is a risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) and lowering iron levels to regulate the labile plasma iron is the preferred therapy. Icariin (ICA), baohuoside I (BHS) and icaritin (ICT) are three flavonoids obtained from Epimedii Folium that are efficient in facilitating osteogenesis. In this study, an active flavonoid with dual effects of reversing iron overload and promoting osteogenesis was screened based on pharmacokinetics, iron complexation properties and the potential to downregulate iron overload, reversing PMOP. As a result, the in vivo absorption of three compounds was ICA > ICT > BHS, while the exposure in muscle and bone was BHS > ICT > ICA. In vitro complexation showed that only ICT complexed with Fe (III) at a 1:1 ratio on 3-OH and the ICT-Fe (III) complex (m/z 424.3750) was identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. In vivo dynamic detection also showed that the concentration of ICT-Fe (III) complexes varied with the concentration of ICT in plasma. The behavioral blunting and bone loss in zebrafish induced by Fe (III) were significantly reversed by ICT in a dose-dependent manner. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis showed that ICT was negatively correlated with serum ferritin and positively correlated with osteogenic markers including alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin. Bone loss in ovariectomized rats was significantly altered after ICT intervention, with reduced serum ferritin levels and improved osteogenic marker levels. These results demonstrated that ICT had favorable musculoskeletal penetration and iron complexation capability to shrink labile plasma iron, showing superior performance in anti-PMOP through the dual effects of reversing iron overload and promoting osteogenesis.

Pharmacodynamic Material Basis and Potential Mechanism Study of Spatholobi Caulis in Reversing Osteoporosis

Objective

To elucidate the mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis (SC) in treating osteoporosis (OP) integrated zebrafish model and bioinformatics.

Methods

Skeleton staining coupled with image quantification was performed to evaluate the effects of SC on skeleton mineralization area (SSA) and total optical density (TOD). Zebrafish locomotor activity was monitored using the EthoVision XT. Bioactive compounds of SC and their corresponding protein targets were acquired from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Potential therapeutic targets for OP were summarized through retrieving 5 databases, and then, the overlapping genes between SC and OP were acquired. The core genes were selected by CytoHubba. Subsequently, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) functional analysis of the intersection target genes were carried out by R software. Finally, the molecular docking simulation was manipulated between the ingredients and the hub genes.

Results

Compared with the model group, SC significantly increased the SSA and TOD at 10 mg/mL and improved the locomotor activity in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.001). 33 components of SC were associated with 72 OP-related genes including 10 core genes (MAPK1, VEGFA, MMP9, AKT1, AR, IL6, CALM3, TP53, EGFR, and CAT). Advanced Glycation End Product (AGE) Receptor for AGE (RAGE) signaling pathway was screened out as the principal pathway of SC in anti-OP. The bioactive components (Aloe-emodin, Emodin, Formononetin, Licochalcone A, Luteolin, and Lopac-I-3766) have excellent affinity to core genes (MAPK1, VEGFA, MMP9, AKT1, and IL6).

Conclusion

SC had the hierarchical network characteristics of "multicomponents/multitargets/multifunctions/multipathways" in reversing OP, but AGE-RAGE signaling pathway may be the main regulatory mechanism.

Combination of Cinnamaldehyde with Carvacrol or Thymol Improves the Mechanical Properties of Tibia in Post-Peak Laying Hens

Roles of plant-derived cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, and thymol in the gut and bone health of laying hens was evaluated in the present study. After acclimation for 2 weeks, a total 384 of 52-week-old laying hens were allocated into three groups for 6 weeks: (1) basal diet group (Ctrl), (2) combination of cinnamaldehyde with carvacrol group (CAR+CIN), and (3) blend of cinnamaldehyde with thymol (THY+CIN). The dietary essential oil level was 100 mg/kg. Each treatment group had eight replicate pens (16 birds/pen). The stiffness and ultimate load of the tibiae from both the CAR+CIN and THY+CIN groups were higher than that of the Ctrl group (p < 0.05), along with comparable tibia ash, calcium, and phosphorus content among groups. At the same time, the manipulation of essential oils upregulated the transcription abundances of intestinal barrier proteins to varying degrees, whereas the experimental treatment failed to affect the composition in phyla of cecal microbiota. When compared to the Ctrl group, birds fed the CAR+CIN and THY+CIN diet displayed decreased bone resorption markers, reduced interleukin-1 concentrations, and increased transforming growth factor beta levels in serum. These findings suggest that cinnamaldehyde with carvacrol or thymol in feed of hens could enhance intestinal barrier and improve the mechanical properties of tibiae through structural modelling but not increase the mineral density, which might be involved in suppressing inflammation-mediated bone resorption.

Modulation of Osteogenic Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells by Co-Treatment with 3, 4'-Dihydroxyflavone, U0126, and N-Acetyl Cysteine

Background and Objectives

Flavonoids form the largest group of plant phenols and have various biological and pharmacological activities. In this study, we investigated the effect of a flavonoid, 3, 4’-dihydroxyflavone (3, 4’-DHF) on osteogenic differentiation of equine adipose-derived stromal cells (eADSCs).

Methods and Results

Treatment of 3, 4’-DHF led to increased osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs by increasing phosphorylation of ERK and modulating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation. Although PD98059, an ERK inhibitor, suppressed osteogenic differentiation, another ERK inhibitor, U0126, apparently increased osteogenic differentiation of the 3, 4’-DHF-treated eADSCs, which may indicate that the effect of U0126 on bone morphogenetic protein signaling is involved in the regulation of 3, 4’-DHF in osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs. We revealed that 3, 4’-DHF could induce osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs by suppressing ROS generation and co-treatment of 3, 4’-DHF, U0126, and/or N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) resulted in the additive enhancement of osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs.

Conclusions

Our results showed that co-treatment of 3, 4’-DHF, U0126, and/or NAC cumulatively regulated osteogenesis in eADSCs, suggesting that 3, 4’-DHF, a flavonoid, can provide a novel approach to the treatment of osteoporosis and can provide potential therapeutic applications in therapeutics and regenerative medicine for human and companion animals.

Elaborate the Mechanism of Ancient Classic Prescriptions (Erzhi Formula) in Reversing GIOP by Network Pharmacology Coupled with Zebrafish Verification

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease that endangers human health. At present, chemical drugs used for osteoporosis have serious side effects. Therefore, it is valuable to search herbs with high safety and good curative effect in antiosteoporosis. Erzhi formula (EZF), an ancient classic compound, has been reported to have a beneficial effect in antiosteoporosis, but its mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the active compounds of EZF were found in Systems Pharmacology Database, and gene targets related to osteoporosis were obtained in GeneCards. The GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed by Metascape. The network of “components-targets-signal pathway” was constructed by Cytoscape. Next, molecular docking between the active components and hub genes related to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was conducted by Autodock. In the verification experiment, the zebrafish induced by prednisolone (PNSL) was used to reproduce glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) model, and then the reversal effects of EZF were systematically evaluated according to the behavior, skull staining area, bone mineralization area (BMA), average optical density (AOD), and cumulative optical density (COD). Finally, it was shown that 24 components in EZF could regulate 39 common gene targets to exert antiosteoporosis effect. Besides, the main regulatory mechanisms of EZF were 4 signaling pathways: PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT, AGE-RAGE, and cancer pathway. In PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, wedelolactone, dimethyl wedelolactone, specnuezhenide, ursolic acid, acacetin, beta-sitosterol, apigenin, and kaempferol can bind tightly with EGF, IL-2, and IL-4 genes. Compared with the model group, the moving distance, swimming speed, and cumulative swimming time of zebrafish in EZF group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the BMA and COD of zebrafish were significantly improved after the intervention of EZF (P < 0.05). In summary, the 24 components of EZF exert their antiosteoporosis effects by regulating 39 related gene targets, among which the PI3K signaling pathway is crucial. EZF can promote bone formation and reversed GIOP through “multicomponent/multitarget/multipathway” and the medium dose of EZF may be the most suitable concentration for the treatment of GIOP in zebrafish model.

Application of Implantable Polylactic-Co-Glycolic Acid Microcapsule in Repairing Alveolar Bone Defects

Alveolar bone defects (ABDs) were a perennial problem, especially in the aged. Bisphosphonates, especially etidronate sodium (ET), were frequently used in clinical treatment of ABD. However, the oral administration of ET had poor absorption (<1%). Therefore, optimization of a suitable dosage form substituted with ET to locally repair the ABD was a straightforward approach. Polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) is a biodegradable material and had been used in locally implanted medical devices. Therefore, an ET-PLGA microcapsule may help local delivery and prolong the activity of healing ABD. In this paper, a preparation method of ET-PLGA microcapsule was optimized by the single-factor investigation and response surface method. Subsequently, the rat ABD model was used to evaluate the enhancement effect of these microcapsules. Finally, the optimum parameters were determined as follows: 40% dichloromethane, 160 mg/mL PLGA, 10% internal aqua/oil phase, 4% PVA, and emulsifying for 10 min. These microcapsules were spherical in shape and fairly monodisperse in a particle size of 27,51 μm (PDI = 0.3), encapsulation rate 96.6%, and drug loading 4.58%. Compared with the ET groups, the total healing volume of ABD in ET-PLGA groups was significantly increased (P < 0.05). ET-PLGA microcapsules significantly enhanced the effect of ET on ABD. This study provided important technical support for the treatment of ABD with bisphosphonates by local administration. This paper has an exploratory significance for the development of water-soluble bioactive components with low bioavailability for ABD.

Recent development in zebrafish model for bioactivity and safety evaluation of natural products

The zebrafish is a species of freshwater fish, popular in aquariums and laboratories. Several advantageous features have facilitated zebrafish to be extensively utilized as a valuable vertebrate model in the lab. It has been well-recognized that natural products possess multiple health benefits for humans. With the increasing demand for natural products in the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and natural cosmetics, the zebrafish has emerged as an unprecedented tool for rapidly and economically screening and identifying safe and effective substances from natural products. This review first summarized the key factors for the management of zebrafish in the laboratory, followed by highlighting the current progress on the establishment and applications of zebrafish models in the bioactivity evaluation of natural products. In addition, the zebrafish models used for assessing the potential toxicity or health risks of natural products were involved as well. Overall, this review indicates that zebrafish are promising animal models for the bioactivity and safety evaluation of natural products, and zebrafish models can accelerate the discovery of novel natural products with potential health functions.

A multiple acetal chalcone-BODIPY-based fluorescence: synthesis, physical property, and biological studies

Fluorescent probes with outstanding physical and biological properties are superior for functional fluorescent dyes design. However, few studies pay attention to the stability of specific groups in fluorescent probes. The aldehyde group in the fluorescent probe is highly active but unstable under certain conditions. Therefore, we introduced ethoxy groups to realize the conversion to aldehyde groups under acidic conditions and avoid the instability of straightforward aldehyde groups. In this work, two fluorophores based on the multi acetal difluoroboraindacene (BODIPY) units with combination of the pharmaceutical intermediate chalcone have been firstly developed. In the design part, chalcone was introduced as a medium for fluorophore and multiple acetal. The mild synthesis strategy is based on the ligand ((Z)-2-chloro-1-(difluoroboranyl)-5-((4-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrrol-2-ylidene)(phenyl)methyl)-1H-pyrrole) and connects with chalcone in (2E,2'E)-3,3'-(1,3-phenylene)bis(1-(2,4-bis(2,2-diethoxyethoxy)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one). The emission wavelengths of the products are around 530 nm with high fluorescence intensity. To highlight the biological characteristics of these novel BODIPY fluorescents, we further demonstrated biological analysis studies on MTT and flow cytometry assays. The IC₅₀ values of BODIPY 5 ranged from 79 ± 6.11 to 63 ± 5.67 μM and BODIPY 6 were found to be 86 ± 4.07 to 58 ± 10.51 μM in tested cell lines. Flow cytometry data analysis shows that the representative agent 6 and reference have similar rational apoptosis rates in first quadrant. Last but not least, 6 shows outstanding biological compatibility and cell imaging potential in live cell imaging and in vivo assay, not only is the fluorescence prominent enough, but also rapidly distributes. Thus, our study reports a mild synthesis strategy and full biological analysis on BODIPY fluorescents, and the subtle modulation of the physical and biological properties by pharmaceutical substituents makes these designed chalcone-BODIPY-based dyes hopeful to realize drug functional fluorescent dyes. Two new highly sensitive BODIPY fluorophores are synthesized based on the ligand ((Z)-2-chloro-1-(difluoroboranyl)-5-((4-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrrol-2-ylidene)(phenyl)methyl)-1H-pyrrole), which connects with chalcone in (2E,2'E)-3,3'-(1,3/4-phenylene)bis(1-(2,4-bis(2,2-diethoxyethoxy)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one). Multiple acetals were introduced and the physical and biological properties of BODIPYs are described with MTT assay and in vitro and in vivo imaging.

Recent Research on Flavonoids and their Biomedical Applications

Flavonoids, commonly found in various plants, are a class of polyphenolic compounds having a basic structural unit of 2-phenylchromone. Flavonoid compounds have attracted much attention due to their wide biological applications. In order to facilitate further research on the biomedical application of flavonoids, we surveyed the literature published on the use of flavonoids in medicine during the past decade, documented the commonly found structures in natural flavonoids, and summarized their pharmacological activities as well as associated mechanisms of action against a variety of health disorders including chronic inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular complications and hypoglycemia. In this mini-review, we provide suggestions for further research on the biomedical applications of flavonoids.

Effects of low dietary phosphorus on tibia quality and metabolism in caged laying hens

Osteoporosis is a common bone metabolic disease in caged laying hens. This disease affects animal welfare and economic costs. In this study, a model of osteoporosis induced by low dietary phosphorus was established. A total of sixty 22-week-old Roman white laying hens were randomly divided into two groups, including a control group (group C) and a low dietary phosphorus group (group P). The effects of low dietary phosphorus on the endocrine and tibial osteoprotegerin (OPG)/nuclear factor kappa B receptor activating factor ligand (RANKL) signaling pathways of osteoporosis in caged laying hens were analyzed by serology, bone biomechanics, molecular biology and histopathology. The results showed that low dietary phosphorus decreased the production performance, and egg quality of laying hens and increased the contents of serum calcium (Ca), osteocalcin (OCN), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP). The contents of serum phosphorus, calcitonin (CT), OPG and tibial biomechanics index decreased. The bone mineral density (BMD), cortical bone thickness and the expression level of OPG protein in tibia decreased. The expression of OCN, nuclear factor kappa B receptor activating factor (RANK) and RANKL protein increased. Low dietary phosphorus caused thinning and fracture of the bone trabeculae and enlargement of the bone marrow cavity of tibia. Our results suggest that phosphorus may affect bone metabolism by regulating the OPG/RANKL signaling pathway.

Efficient extraction and determination of prenylflavonol glycosides in Epimedium pubescens Maxim. using deep eutectic solvents

INTRODUCTION

The Epimedium herb, Yinyanghuo in Chinese, is a famous Chinese herbal medicine. In this study, an efficient extraction method was developed for the extraction of major bioactive constituent epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C and icariin from E. pubescens Maxim. using deep eutectic solvents (DESs).

METHODOLOGY

A series of choline chloride-based DESs were synthesised for the extraction of four target compounds. DES composed of lactic acid and choline chloride with the ratio of 2:1 was selected as the most promising. Three vital factors affecting the extraction yields including water content, volume of DES aqueous solution and extraction time were optimised systematically by Box-Behnken experimental design in combination with response surface methodology. A high-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) method was developed for the sensitive and accurate quantification.

RESULTS

The optimal extraction conditions were obtained as follows: water content of 17.5% (v/v), volume of DES aqueous solution 3.14 ml, and extraction time of 21 min. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the developed DES method could supply almost the same extraction yield as 50% ethanol, which were 98%, 99%, 97%, 96% for epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C and icariin, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The present study exhibited high efficiency in extraction of prenylflavonol glycosides in E. pubescens Maxim. Thus, DESs could be used as an alternative for efficient extraction and quantification of biologically active components from natural medical plants.

Icariin Promotes Fracture Healing in Ovariectomized Rats

BACKGROUND Osteoporotic fractures are common in postmenopausal women and associated with complications. Numerous studies have demonstrated that icariin can be used to treat fractures and osteoporosis. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of gavage-administered icariin to promote fracture healing in postmenopausal osteoporotic fracture (POF) rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, ovariectomy-induced POF rats were treated with 600 mg/kg icariin. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was used to assess fracture healing; besides, serum APK, TRACP-5b, and E₂ expression levels were detected by commercial kits, and the uterine index was calculated. In addition, the expression of osteogenesis-related proteins (Runx 2 and COL1A2) in the callus was measured by western blot, whereas the expression of OPG/RANKL pathway proteins was measured by western blot and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS Our data revealed that icariin promoted the expression level of Runx 2 and COL1A2 and suppressed the expression level of serum bone turn over biomarkers via the OPG/RANKL pathway. Besides, a more mature callus was observed in the POF rats receiving icariin than in the untreated POF rats, while serum E₂ and uterine index were unaffected by icariin treatment. CONCLUSIONS These results revealed that icariin could promote fracture healing in ovariectomized rats via OPG/RANKL signaling, and that serum E₂ and uterine index were not affected by icariin treatment.

Synthesis of flavonoids nitrogen mustard derivatives and study on their antitumor activity in vitro

Several novel flavonoids nitrogen mustard derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity against seven human cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, HepG2, MCF7, SH-SY5Y, PC-3, DU145) by the MTT assay in vitro. The resulting IC₅₀ showed that most compounds exhibited better inhibitory activity against seven cell lines. IC₅₀ values of some compounds were lower than well-known melphalan. In particular, compound 8b was the most promising compound which inhibited HeLa cells with IC₅₀ value of 1.43 μM. It showed excellent antitumor activity against these seven cell lines. Besides, it could arrest cell cycle of HeLa in G2/M phase and induce cell apoptosis. The loss of mitochondrial membrane potential may be an apoptotic mediating factor.

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Processed by Sulfur Fumigation Damaged the Chemical Profile Accompanied by Immunosuppression and Liver Injury

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (GRER) has been used as a medicinal plant and dietary supplements for its beneficial effect in immunomodulatory effects. Sulfur fumigation (SF) processing was widely used in the storage and maintenance of Chinese medicine because of its convenience and cheapness. However, the disadvantage of SF has been reported, but the systematic study of SF on GRER was deficient. In this paper, the active ingredients, sulfur-fumigated products, immunomodulatory effect, and liver injury of SF-GRER were studied. After SF, the liquiritin decreased from 4.49 ± 0.03 mg/g to 3.94 ± 0.08 mg/g (P<0.01). Compared with the NSF-GRER group, the SF-GRER group showed a decreased immunoregulation in the thymus index, spleen index, and serum IL-6 and SOD levels (P<0.05). After 2 weeks of continuous intragastric administration of SF-GRER in healthy mice, the level of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) significantly increased (P<0.05) and the area of liver lesion significantly increased compared with the NSF-GRER (P<0.05) group. The sulfonated products (m/z, 631.13) corresponding to liquiritin apioside (m/z, 551.17) and isoliquiritin apioside (m/z, 551.17) were screened out in SF-GRER by using UPLC-Orbitrap-MS. The sulfonated products provided in this paper were discovered for the first time and could be powerfully applied for the identification of SF-GRER. SF destroyed the chemical composition of GRER, inhibited immunoregulation, and induced liver injury. The feasibility of this processing method needs to be reconsidered.