Integrative proteomics-metabolomics strategy reveals the mechanism of hepatotoxicity induced by Fructus Psoraleae

Isobavachin induces autophagy-mediated cytotoxicity in AML12 cells via AMPK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways

Isobavachin (IBA) is a dihydroflavonoid compound with various pharmacological effects. However, further investigation into the hepatotoxicity of IBA is necessary. This study aims to identify the hepatotoxic effects of IBA and explore its potential mechanisms. The study assessed the impact of IBA on the viability of AML12, HepG2, LO2, rat, and mouse primary hepatocytes using MTT and LDH assays. Autophagy was detected in AML12 cells after IBA treatment using electron microscopy, MDC, and Ad-mCherry-GFP-LC3B fluorescence. The effect of IBA on autophagy-related proteins was examined using Western blot. The results showed that IBA had dose-dependent inhibitory effects on five cells, induced autophagy in AML12 cells, and promoted autophagic flux. The study found that IBA treatment inhibited phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR, while increasing phosphorylation levels of AMPK and ULK1. Treatment with both AMPK and PI3K inhibitors reversed the expression of AMPK and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway proteins. These results suggest that IBA may have hepatocytotoxic effects but can also prevent IBA hepatotoxicity by inhibiting the AMPK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. This provides a theoretical basis for preventing and treating IBA hepatotoxicity in clinical settings.

Bavachinin, a main compound of Psoraleae Fructus, facilitates GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis and causes hepatotoxicity in mice

Psoraleae Fructus (PF, Psoralea corylifolia L.), a traditional medicine with a long history of application, is widely used clinically for the treatment of various diseases. However, the reports of PF-related adverse reactions, such as hepatotoxicity, phototoxic dermatitis, and allergy, are increasing year by year, with liver injury being the mostly common. Our previous studies have demonstrated that PF and its preparations can cause liver injury in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated susceptibility mouse model, but the mechanism of PF-related liver injury is unclear. In this study, we showed that PF and bavachinin, a major component of PF, can directly induce the expression of caspase-1 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), indicating that PF and bavachinin can directly triggered the activation of inflammasome. Furthermore, pretreatment with NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3), NLR family CARD domain containing 4 (NLRC4) or absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome inhibitors, containing MCC950, ODN TTAGGG (ODN) and carnosol, all significantly reversed bavachinin-induced inflammasome activation. Mechanistically, bavachinin dose-dependently promote Gasdermin D (GSDMD) post-shear activation and then induce mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) production and this effect is markedly inhibited by pretreatment with N-Acetylcysteine amide (NAC). In addition, combination treatment of LPS and bavachinin significantly induced liver injury in mice, but not LPS or bavachinin alone, and transcriptome analysis further validated these results. Thus, PF and bavachinin can induce the activation of inflammasome by promoting GSDMD cleavage and cause hepatotoxicity in mice. Therefore, PF, bavachinin, and PF-related preparations should be avoided in patients with inflammasome activation-associated diseases.

Identification of shared gene signatures in major depressive disorder and triple-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have an increased risk of breast cancer (BC), implying that these two diseases share similar pathological mechanisms. This study aimed to identify the key pathogenic genes that lead to the occurrence of both triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and MDD.

METHODS

Public datasets GSE65194 and GSE98793 were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) shared by both datasets. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING and Cytoscape to identify key PPI genes using cytoHubba. Hub DEGs were obtained from the intersection of hub genes from a PPI network with genes in the disease associated modules of the Weighed Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Independent datasets (TCGA and GSE76826) and RT-qPCR validated hub gene expression.

RESULTS

A total of 113 overlapping DEGs were identified between TNBC and MDD. The PPI network was constructed, and 35 hub DEGs were identified. Through WGCNA, the blue, brown, and turquoise modules were recognized as highly correlated with TNBC, while the brown, turquoise, and yellow modules were similarly correlated with MDD. Notably, G3BP1, MAF, NCEH1, and TMEM45A emerged as hub DEGs as they appeared both in modules and PPI hub DEGs. Within the GSE65194 and GSE98793 datasets, G3BP1 and MAF exhibited a significant downregulation in TNBC and MDD groups compared to the control, whereas NCEH1 and TMEM45A demonstrated a significant upregulation. These findings were further substantiated by TCGA and GSE76826, as well as through RT-qPCR validation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified G3BP1, MAF, NCEH1 and TMEM45A as key pathological genes in both TNBC and MDD.

Exploring quality evaluation markers of Fructus Psoraleae based on chemometric analysis integrated with network pharmacology

INTRODUCTION

Fructus Psoraleae (FP) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, major quality differences were witnessed owing to its various origins, thus influencing its safety and efficacy.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to evaluate the quality of FP from different origins and predict its quality evaluation markers.

METHODS

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was employed for tentative characterisation of the constituents in 10 batches of FP, followed by the utilisation of multivariate statistical analysis methods including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis for quality evaluation. Network pharmacology approaches were utilised to explore the underlying mechanism of the screened chemotaxonomic markers in treating osteoporosis.

RESULTS

Forty-one components in FP including, chalcones, coumarins, coumestans, flavonoids, iso-flavonoids, and phenolics, were characterised based on their fragmentation pathways. Ten batches of FP were basically divided into three categories, and eight chemotaxonomic markers including isopsoralen, calamenene, bakuchiol, psoralen, bavachinin, isoneobavaisoflavone, corylifol C, and neobavaisoflavone were screened. Network pharmacology revealed that the chemotaxonomic markers can act on targets such as AKT1, HSP90AA1, and EGFR and possess effects mainly through glycolysis and wnt/β-catenin signalling to alleviate osteoporosis. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation confirmed the good binding affinity and stability between proteins and selected markers. So, eight chemotaxonomic markers were all preferentially recommended as quality evaluation markers.

CONCLUSION

The study not only provides a reference for the improvement of quality control of FP but also offers a theoretical basis for its further in-depth research in osteoporosis.

Evaluation of the hepatotoxicity of Psoralea corylifolia L. based on a zebrafish model

Objective: Psoralea corylifolia L. (FP) has received increasing attention due to its potential hepatotoxicity. Methods: In this study, zebrafish were treated with different concentrations of an aqueous extract of FP (AEFP; 40, 50, or 60 μg/mL), and the hepatotoxic effects of tonicity were determined by the mortality rate, liver morphology, fluorescence area and intensity of the liver, biochemical indices, and pathological tissue staining. The mRNA expression of target genes in the bile acid metabolic signaling pathway and lipid metabolic pathway was detected by qPCR, and the mechanism of toxicity was initially investigated. AEFP (50 μg/mL) was administered in combination with FXR or a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) agonist/inhibitor to further define the target of toxicity. Results: Experiments on toxic effects showed that, compared with no treatment, AEFP administration resulted in liver atrophy, a smaller fluorescence area in the liver, and a lower fluorescence intensity (p < 0.05); alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and γ-GT levels were significantly elevated in zebrafish (p < 0.01), and TBA, TBIL, total cholesterol (TC), TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were elevated to different degrees (p < 0.05); and increased lipid droplets in the liver appeared as fatty deposits. Molecular biological validation revealed that AEFP inhibited the expression of the FXR gene, causing an increase in the expression of the downstream genes SHP, CYP7A1, CYP8B1, BSEP, MRP2, NTCP, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), ME-1, SCD-1, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), CPT-1, and CPT-2 and a decrease in the expression of PPARα (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that tonic acid extracts are hepatotoxic to zebrafish through the inhibition of FXR and PPARα expression, thereby causing bile acid and lipid metabolism disorders.

Exploring the mechanism and phytochemicals in Psoraleae Fructus-induced hepatotoxicity based on RNA-seq, in vitro screening and molecular docking

Psoraleae Fructus (PF) is a widely-used herb with diverse pharmacological activities, while its related hepatic injuries have aroused public concerns. In this work, a systematic approach based on RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), high-content screening (HCS) and molecular docking was developed to investigate the potential mechanism and identify major phytochemicals contributed to PF-induced hepatotoxicity. Animal experiments proved oral administration of PF water extracts disturbed lipid metabolism and promoted hepatic injuries by suppressing fatty acid and cholesterol catabolism. RNA-seq combined with KEGG enrichment analysis identified mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) as the potential key pathway. Further experiments validated PF caused mitochondrial structure damage, mtDNA depletion and inhibited expressions of genes engaged in OXPHOS. By detecting mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial superoxide, HCS identified bavachin, isobavachalcone, bakuchiol and psoralidin as most potent mitotoxic compounds in PF. Moreover, molecular docking confirmed the potential binding patterns and strong binding affinity of the critical compounds with mitochondrial respiratory complex. This study unveiled the underlying mechanism and phytochemicals in PF-induced liver injuries from the view of mitochondrial dysfunction.

Chinese medicine, Qijudihuang pill, mediates cholesterol metabolism and regulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice, implications for age-related macular degeneration

Background

Traditional Chinese Medicines have been used for thousands of years but without any sound empirical basis. One such preparation is the Qijudihuang pill (QP), a mixture of eight herbs, that has been used in China for the treatment of various conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in the aged population. In order to explain the mechanism behind the effect of QP, we used an AMD model of high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice to investigate cholesterol homeostasis, oxidative stress, inflammation and gut microbiota.

Methods

Mice were randomly divided into three groups, one group was fed with control diet (CD), the other two groups were fed with high-fat-diet (HFD). One HFD group was treated with QP, both CD and the other HFD groups were treated with vehicles. Tissue samples were collected after the treatment. Cholesterol levels in retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), liver and serum were determined using a commercial kit. The expression of enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism, inflammation and oxidative stress was measured with qRT-PCR. Gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing.

Results

In the majority of the lipid determinations, analytes were elevated by HFD but this was reversed by QP. Cholesterol metabolism including the enzymes of bile acid (BA) formation was suppressed by HFD but again this was reversed by QP. BAs play a major role in signaling between host and microbiome and this is disrupted by HFD resulting in major changes in the composition of colonic bacterial communities. Associated with these changes are predictions of the metabolic pathway complexity and abundance of individual pathways. These concerned substrate breakdowns, energy production and the biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory factors but were changed back to control characteristics by QP.

Conclusion

We propose that the ability of QP to reverse these HFD-induced effects is related to mechanisms acting to lower cholesterol level, oxidative stress and inflammation, and to modulate gut microbiota.

Lipidomics reveals the lipid metabolism disorders in Fructus Psoraleae-induced hepatotoxicity in rats with kidney-yin deficiency syndrome

Fructus Psoraleae (FP), one of the important traditional Chinese medicines, is widely used in clinic and has been reported to be hepatotoxic. However, there is no report on the mechanism of FP-induced hepatotoxicity based on the theory of You Gu Wu Yun. In this study, plasma samples of rats with different kidney deficiency syndromes were investigated using a lipidomics approach based on UPLC/Q-TOF-MS technique. Firstly, multivariate statistical analysis, VIP value test, statistical test and other methods were used to find the lipid metabolites in the two syndrome model groups that were different from the normal group. The screening of differential lipid metabolites revealed that there were 12 biomarkers between the blank group and the kidney-yang deficiency model group as well as 16 differential metabolites between the kidney-yin deficiency model group, and finally a total of 17 relevant endogenous metabolites were identified, which could be used as differential lipid metabolites to distinguish between kidney-yin deficiency and kidney-yang deficiency evidence. Secondly, the relative content changes of metabolites in rats after administration of FP decoction were further compared to find the substances associated with toxicity after administration, and the diagnostic ability of the identified biomarkers was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results a total of 14 potential differential lipid metabolites, including LysoPC(20:0/0:0) and LysoPC(16:0/0:0), which may be related to hepatotoxicity in rats with kidney-yin deficiency syndrome were further screened, namely, the potential active lipid metabolites related to hepatotoxicity in rats induced by FP. Finally, cluster analysis, MetPA analysis and KEGG database were used to analyze metabolic pathways. It was discovered that the metabolism of glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid may be strongly related to the mechanism of hepatotoxicity brought on by FP. Overall, we described the lipidomics changes in rats treated with FP decoction and screened out 14 lipid metabolites related to hepatotoxicity in rats with kidney-yin deficiency, which served as a foundation for the theory of "syndrome differentiation and treatment" in traditional Chinese medicine and a guide for further investigation into the subsequent mechanism.

Tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics analysis reveals the effects of the α-lactalbumin peptides GINY and DQW on lipid deposition and oxidative stress in HepG2 cells

The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which the α-lactalbumin peptides Gly-Ile-Asn-Tyr (GINY) and Asp-Gln-Trp (DQW) ameliorate free fatty acid-induced lipid deposition in HepG2 cells. The results show that GINY and DQW reduced triglyceride, total cholesterol, and free fatty acid levels significantly in free fatty acid-treated HepG2 cells. Based on proteomic analysis, GINY and DQW alleviated lipid deposition and oxidative stress mainly through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathway, fatty acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and response to oxidative stress. In vitro experiments confirmed that GINY and DQW upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of fatty acid β-oxidation-related and oxidative stress-related genes, and downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of lipogenesis-related genes by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα). Meanwhile, GINY and DQW reduced free fatty acid-induced lipid droplet accumulation and reactive oxygen species generation, and enhanced the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels. Furthermore, GINY and DQW enhanced carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1a (CPT-1a) and superoxide dismutase activities, and diminished acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase 1 (ACC1) and fatty acid synthase (FASN) activities in a PPARα-dependent manner. Interestingly, GW6471 (a PPARα inhibitor) weakened the effects of GINY and DQW on the PPARα pathway. Hence, our findings suggest that GINY and DQW have the potential to alleviate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by activating the PPARα pathway.

Revealment study on the regulation of lipid metabolism by Lingguizhugan Decoction in heart failure treatment based on integrated lipidomics and proteomics

Lingguizhugan Decoction (LGZGD) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine prescription. Our previous studies found that disorders of lipid metabolism were reversed by LGZGD in heart failure (HF) mice. This study aimed to reveal the regulation of lipid metabolism of LGZGD. A mice model of HF was established by intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin. The components of LGZGD were identified with the UHPLC-QTOF-MS method. The regulation of lipid metabolism by LGZGD was detected by serum lipidomics and heart tissue proteomics. Molecular docking was further performed to screen active components. A total of 78 compounds in LGZGD were identified. Results of lipidomics showed that 37 lipids illustrated a significant recovery trend to normal after the treatment of LGZGD. Results of proteomics demonstrated that 55 proteins were altered by the administration of LGZGD in HF mice. After enrichment analysis, the Prakg2/Ucp2/Plin1 axis on the Apelin pathway plays a vital role in HF treatment by LGZGD. Nine active components exhibited the outstanding ability of binding to the apelin receptor with MM-GBSA value lower than -60 Kcal/mol. In conclusion, all results combined together revealed that multi-component in the LGZGD had beneficial effects on the HF through ameliorating lipid disorders, which provides a novel insight into the cardioprotective effects of LGZGD and its clinical application.

Psoraleae Fructus Ethanol Extract Induced Hepatotoxicity via Impaired Lipid Metabolism Caused by Disruption of Fatty Acid β-Oxidation

Herb-induced liver injury (HILI) is gradually increasing, and Psoraleae Fructus (PF) has been reported to induce hepatotoxicity. However, its underlying toxicity mechanism has been only poorly revealed. In this paper, we attempted to explore the liver injury and mechanism caused by Psoraleae Fructus ethanol extract (PFE). First, we administered PFE to mice for 4 weeks and evaluated their serum liver function indices. H&E staining was performed to observe the pathological changes of the livers. Oil red O staining was used to visualize hepatic lipids. Serum-untargeted metabolomics and liver proteomics were used to explore the mechanism of PF hepatotoxicity, and transmission electron microscopy was determined to assess mitochondria and western blot to determine potential target proteins expression. The results showed that PFE caused abnormal liver biochemical indicators and liver tissue injury in mice, and there was substantial fat accumulation in liver tissue in this group. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis showed that PFE changed bile acid synthesis, lipid metabolism, etc., and eight metabolites, including linoleic acid, which could be used as potential biomarkers of PFE hepatotoxicity. Proteomic analysis revealed that differential proteins were clustered in the mitochondrial transmembrane transport, the long-chain fatty acid metabolic process and purine ribonucleotide metabolic process. Multiomics analysis showed that eight pathways were enriched in both metabolomics and proteomics, such as bile secretion, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, and linoleic acid metabolism. The downregulation of SLC27A5, CPT1A, NDUFB5, and COX6A1 and upregulation of cytochrome C and ABCC3 expressions also confirmed the impaired fatty acid oxidative catabolism. Altogether, this study revealed that PFE induced hepatotoxicity by damaging mitochondria, reducing fatty acid β-oxidation levels, and inhibiting fatty acids ingested by bile acids.

Integration of metabolomics and proteomics analysis to explore the mechanism of neurotoxicity induced by receipt of isoniazid and rifampicin in mice

Isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) are co-administered in tuberculosis treatment but can cause neurotoxicity, and the mechanism is not known. To explore this mechanism, we employed an integrated approach using metabolomics analysis (MA) and proteomics analysis (PA). Male mice were divided into three groups and administered vehicle (control group), or co-administered INH (120 mg/kg) and RIF (240 mg/kg), for 7 or 14 days. Mice brains were collected for mass spectrometry-based PA and MA plus lipidomics analysis. Measurement of brain levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase revealed time-dependent brain injury after exposure to INH+RIF for 7 and 14 days. Also, 422 proteins, 35 metabolites, and 21 lipids were dysregulated and identified. MA demonstrated "purine metabolism," "phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis," "biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids," "phenylalanine metabolism," and "arginine biosynthesis" to be disturbed significantly. PA demonstrated pathways such as "lipids," "amino acids," and "energy metabolism" to be disrupted. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathways were changed in energy metabolism, which led to the neurotoxicity induced by INH+RIF. Immunohistochemical analyses of PPARs in mice brains verified that PPAR-α and -γ expression was downregulated. PPAR-α and -γ activation might be a key target for alleviating INH+RIF-induced neurotoxicity.

Exploration of the underlying mechanisms of isoniazid/rifampicin-induced liver injury in mice using an integrated proteomics and metabolomics approach

The hepatotoxic mechanism resulting from coadministration of isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) are complex and studies remain inconclusive. To systematically explore the underlying mechanisms, an integrated mass-based untargeted metabolomics and label-free quantitative proteomics approach was used to clarify the mechanism of INH/RIF-induced liver injury. Thirty male mice were randomly divided into three groups: control (receiving orally administered vehicle solution), INH (150 mg/kg) + RIF (300 mg/kg) orally administered for either 7 or 14 days, respectively. Serum was collected for the analysis of biochemical parameters and liver samples were obtained for mass spectrum-based proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics analysis. Overall, 511 proteins, 31 metabolites, and 23 lipids were dysregulated and identified, and disordered biological pathways were identified. The network of integrated multiomics showed that glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism as well as energy metabolism were mainly dysregulated and led to oxidative stress, inflammation, liver steatosis, and cell death induced by INH and RIF. Coadministration of INH and RIF can induce liver injury by oxidative stress, inflammation, liver steatosis, and cell death, and the reduction in glutathione levels may play a critical role in these systematic changes and warrants further study.

Urine metabolomics and microbiome analyses reveal the mechanism of anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury, as assessed for causality using the updated RUCAM: A prospective study

Background

Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury (ATB-DILI) is one of the most common adverse reactions that brings great difficulties to the treatment of tuberculosis. Thus, early identification of individuals at risk for ATB-DILI is urgent. We conducted a prospective cohort study to analyze the urinary metabolic and microbial profiles of patients with ATB-DILI before drug administration. And machine learning method was used to perform prediction model for ATB-DILI based on metabolomics, microbiome and clinical data.

Methods

A total of 74 new TB patients treated with standard first-line anti-TB treatment regimens were enrolled from West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Only patients with an updated RUCAM score of 6 or more were accepted in this study. Nontargeted metabolomics and microbiome analyses were performed on urine samples prior to anti-tuberculosis drug ingestion to screen the differential metabolites and microbes between the ATB-DILI group and the non-ATB-DILI group. Integrating electronic medical records, metabolomics, and microbiome data, four machine learning methods was used, including random forest algorithm, artificial neural network, support vector machine with the linear kernel and radial basis function kernel.

Results

Of all included patients, 69 patients completed follow-up, with 16 (23.19%) patients developing ATB-DILI after antituberculosis treatment. Finally, 14 ATB-DILI patients and 30 age- and sex-matched non-ATB-DILI patients were subjected to urinary metabolomic and microbiome analysis. A total of 28 major differential metabolites were screened out, involving bile secretion, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, ABC transporters, etc. Negativicoccus and Actinotignum were upregulated in the ATB-DILI group. Multivariate analysis also showed significant metabolic and microbial differences between the non-ATB-DILI and severe ATB-DILI groups. Finally, the four models showed high accuracy in predicting ATB-DILI, with the area under the curve of more than 0.85 for the training set and 1 for the validation set.

Conclusion

This study characterized the metabolic and microbial profile of ATB-DILI risk individuals before drug ingestion for the first time. Metabolomic and microbiome characteristics in patient urine before anti-tuberculosis drug ingestion may predict the risk of liver injury after ingesting anti-tuberculosis drugs. Machine learning algorithms provides a new way to predict the occurrence of ATB-DILI among tuberculosis patients.

Plasma metabolomic and lipidomic alterations associated with anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury

Background: Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury (ATB-DILI) is an adverse reaction with a high incidence and the greatest impact on tuberculosis treatment. However, there is a lack of effective biomarkers for the early prediction of ATB-DILI. Herein, this study uses UPLC‒MS/MS to reveal the plasma metabolic profile and lipid profile of ATB-DILI patients before drug administration and screen new biomarkers for predicting ATB-DILI. Methods: A total of 60 TB patients were enrolled, and plasma was collected before antituberculosis drug administration. The untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics analyses were performed using UPLC‒MS/MS, and the high-resolution mass spectrometer Q Exactive was used for data acquisition in both positive and negative ion modes. The random forest package of R software was used for data screening and model building. Results: A total of 60 TB patients, including 30 ATB-DILI patients and 30 non-ATB-DILI subjects, were enrolled. There were no significant differences between the ATB-DILI and control groups in age, sex, smoking, drinking or body mass index (p > 0.05). Twenty-two differential metabolites were selected. According to KEGG pathway analysis, 9 significantly enriched metabolic pathways were found, and both drug metabolism-other enzymes and niacin and nicotinamide metabolic pathways were found in both positive and negative ion models. A total of 7 differential lipid molecules were identified between the two groups. Ferroptosis and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids were involved in the occurrence of ATB-DILI. Random forest analysis showed that the model built with the top 30 important variables had an area under the ROC curve of 0.79 (0.65-0.93) for the training set and 0.79 (0.55-1.00) for the validation set. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that potential markers for the early prediction of ATB-DILI can be found through plasma metabolomics and lipidomics. The random forest model showed good clinical predictive value for ATB-DILI.

iTRAQ Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Different Expressed Proteins and Signal Pathways in Bakuchiol-Induced Hepatotoxicity

Bakuchiol (BAK) is an abundant natural compound. BAK has been reported to have several biological activities such as anticancer, antiaging, anti-inflammatory, and prevention of bone loss. However, it causes hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which is not known. In this study, we explored the mechanism of BAK hepatotoxicity by treating rats with 52.5 mg/kg and 262.5 mg/kg of BAK, administered continuously for 6 weeks. We examined the liver pathology and biochemical composition of bile to determine toxicity. Mechanisms of BAK hepatotoxicity were analyzed based on relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) protein equivalent signatures and validated in vitro using LO2 cells. iTRAQ analysis revealed 281 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in liver tissue of the BAK-treated group, of which 215 were upregulated, and 66 were downregulated. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that bile secretion, lipid metabolism, and cytochrome P450 signaling pathways were enriched in DEPs. Among them, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7a1) were closely associated with the development and progression of BAK-induced hepatic metabolic dysfunction and abnormal bile metabolism. This study shows that BAK can induce hepatotoxicity through multiple signaling pathways.

A new strategy for the rapid identification and validation of direct toxicity targets of psoralen-induced hepatotoxicity

The interaction between small-molecule compounds of traditional Chinese medicine and their direct targets is the molecular initiation event, which is the key factor for toxicity efficacy. Psoralen, an active component of Fructus Psoraleae, is toxic to the liver and has various pharmacological properties. Although the mechanism of psoralen-induced hepatotoxicity has been studied, the direct target of psoralen remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to discover direct targets of psoralen. To this end, we initially used proteomics based on drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) technology to identify the direct targets of psoralen. Next, we used surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis and verified the affinity effect of the 'component-target protein'. This method combines molecular docking technology to explore binding sites between small molecules and proteins. SPR and molecular docking confirmed that psoralen and tyrosine-protein kinase ABL1 could be stably combined. Based on the above experimental results, ABL1 is a potential direct target of psoralen-induced hepatotoxicity. Finally, the targets Nrf2 and mTOR, which are closely related to the hepatotoxicity caused by psoralen, were predicted by integrating proteomics and network pharmacology. The direct target ABL1 is located upstream of Nrf2 and mTOR, Nrf2 can influence the expression of mTOR by affecting the level of reactive oxygen species. Immunofluorescence experiments and western blot results showed that psoralen could affect ROS levels and downstream Nrf2 and mTOR protein changes, whereas the ABL1 inhibitor imatinib and ABL1 agonist DPH could enhance or inhibit this effect. In summary, we speculated that when psoralen causes hepatotoxicity, it acts on the direct target ABL1, resulting in a decrease in Nrf2 expression, an increase in ROS levels and a reduction in mTOR expression, which may cause cell death. We developed a new strategy for predicting and validating the direct targets of psoralen. This strategy identified the toxic target, ABL1, and the potential toxic mechanism of psoralen.

Hepatotoxicity of cantharidin is associated with the altered bile acid metabolism

Cantharidin (CTD) is an effective antitumor agent. However, it exhibits significant hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, biochemical and histopathological analyses complemented with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomic analysis of bile acids (BAs) were employed to investigate CTD-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixteen male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and CTD (1.0 mg/kg) groups. Serum and liver samples were collected after 28 days of intervention. Biochemical, histopathological, and BA metabolomic analyses were performed for all samples. Further, the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity were identified via multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses. In addition, metabolite-gene-enzyme network and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways related to CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. The results revealed significantly increased levels of biochemical indices (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bile acid). Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatocytes were damaged. Further, 20 endogenous BAs were quantitated via UHPLC-MS/MS, and multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses of BAs revealed that hyocholic acid, cholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. Meanwhile, primary and secondary BA biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be associated with the mechanism by which CTD induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study provides useful insights for research on the mechanism of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity.

Multi-parametric cellular imaging coupled with multi-component quantitative profiling for screening of hepatotoxic equivalent markers from Psoraleae Fructus

BACKGROUND

The hepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is an important reason for its restrictive application. Psoraleae Fructus (PF), a commonly used CHM for treatment of osteoporosis and vitiligo etc., has caused serious concern due to the frequent occurrence of liver injury incidents. To date, its hepatotoxic equivalent markers (HEMs) and potential mechanisms are still unclear.

PURPOSE

To discover and validate the HEMs of PF and further explore the potential mechanisms of hepatotoxicity.

METHODS

Multi-parametric cellular imaging was performed by high content screening, and multi-component quantitative profiling was conducted by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry. The correlations between hepatotoxic features and component contents were modeled by chemometrics including partial least square regression, back propagation-artificial neural network, and hierarchical cluster analysis. Then the candidate HEMs of PF were screened out and subjected to hepatotoxic equivalence assessment in primary hepatocytes, zebrafish, and mice, and the hepatotoxic mechanisms of PF were investigated.

RESULTS

The chemical combination of psoralen and isopsoralen was discovered as the HEMs of PF through pre-screening and verifying process. PF was demonstrated to induce oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

This study not only provides a rational strategy for screening HEMs from CHMs like PF, but also contributes to understanding the underlying mechanisms of PF hepatotoxicity.

UPLC-MS/MS-Based Rat Serum Metabolomics Reveals the Detoxification Mechanism of Psoraleae Fructus during Salt Processing

Psoraleae Fructus (PF) is a botanical medicine widely used in Asian countries, of which salt products have higher safety and efficacy. However, the biological mechanism of the detoxification of salt-processing Psoraleae Fructus (SPF) has not yet been revealed. In this study, UPLC-MS/MS technology was used to explore the metabolic differences between SPF and PF in normal rats and reveal the mechanism of salt processing. The histopathological results of rat liver and kidney showed that the degree of liver and kidney injure in the SPF group was less than that in the PF group. The results of metabolomics showed that the detoxification mechanism of PF by salt processing might be related to glycerophospholipid metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and linoleic acid metabolism. PF-induced inflammation could be reduced by regulating the expression of metabolites to achieve the purpose of salt processing and detoxification. It included reducing the production of metabolites such as 1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, tyrosine, arginine, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and phenylacetylglycine/hippuric acid ratio and upregulating the expression of metabolites such as creatine.

Proteomic Study Reveals Major Pathways Regulating the Development of Black Soldier Fly

Nowadays, biodegrading organic waste, as a solution to confront environmental challenges, has attracted wide attention. A dipteran insect, black soldier fly (BSF), exhibits outstanding capability to convert organic waste into proteins and lipid resources, and thus, much interest has been shown in it. However, information of fundamental biology of BSF is still limited besides its recycling efficiency. In this work, we present a complete proteomic database of BSF at all instars (before prepupa). We further formulated the pathways corresponding to BSF development and built a relationship with the current genetic database. To achieve this, we investigated the proteomics of BSF during different periods. We identified 5036 proteins, and among them, 3905 proteins were annotated in the protein function database. illustrated three pathways related to major physiological processes including the insulin signaling pathway for feeding and growth, fatty acid biosynthesis pathway for fatty acid using, and toll/immune deficiency pathway for immune behavior. The proteins in these three pathways were matched with a published genetic database, and this reference library could be used for future BSF genetic engineering. In conclusion, this work provided a comprehensive protein library of BSF and expands the basic knowledge of BSF for future research.