Glutinous rice amylopectin can adjust the plasma gut-regulated peptide levels in rhubarb-induced spleen deficiency rats

Integrated analysis of metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling reveals the effect of Atractylodes oil on Spleen Yang Deficiency Syndrome in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Spleen Yang Deficiency Syndrome (SYDS), which is a syndrome commonly treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), manifests as overall metabolic dysfunction caused mainly by digestive system disorders. Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. (AL) is a widely used traditional herb with the efficacy of eliminate dampness and strengthen the spleen, Atractylodes oil (AO) is a medicinal component of AL and can be used to treat various gastrointestinal disorders. However, its effects on SYDS and underlying mechanisms have not been clarified to date.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of AO in the improvement of the symptoms of SYDS in rat and the underlying mechanism by integrating transcriptomics, and metabolomics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The SYDS rats induced by reserpine were treated with AO. The protective effect of AO on SYDS rats was evaluated by serum biochemical detection, histopathological analyses. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), colorimetric assay and immunofluorescence (IF) were performed to determine the levels of relevant indicators of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in the liver. Liver metabolites and transcript levels were assessed by non-targeted metabolomics and transcriptomics to analyze potential molecular mechanisms and targets. The expression of the corresponding proteins was verified using Western blotting.

RESULTS

AO not only regulated the digestion, absorption function and oxidative stress status of SYDS rats, but also improved mitochondrial function and alleviated energy metabolism disorders in SYDS rats. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that AO regulation is mainly exerted in amino acid metabolism, unsaturated fatty acid metabolism, TCA cycle as well as PPAR and AMPK signaling pathways. In addition, The AMPK signaling pathway was verified and AO promoted AMPK phosphorylation and the expression of SIRT1, PGC-1α, and PPARα in SYDS rats.

CONCLUSIONS

The therapeutic effect of AO on SYDS is potentially attributable to activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway, which enhances transport and regulation of energy metabolism.

Elucidation of the Reinforcing Spleen Effect of Jujube Fruits Based on Metabolomics and Intestinal Flora Analysis

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) fruit (JF) is widely consumed as food in Asian countries due to its potential effects for human health. As a traditional Chinese medicine, JF is often used to treat anorexia, fatigue and loose stools caused by spleen deficiency syndromes in China, but the mechanism underlying this effect has not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, a rat model of spleen deficiency syndromes was adopted to investigate the therapeutic effect of JF extract and its possible mechanism by metabolomics analyses of plasma and urine as well as the intestinal flora analysis. The results showed that the changes in plasma and urine metabolites caused by spleen deficiency were reversed after administration of JF, and these changed endogenous metabolites were mainly involved in retinol metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, nicotinate and niacinamide metabolism pathways. The 16S rDNA sequencing results showed that JF could regulate intestinal flora imbalance caused by spleen deficiency. The covariance analysis of intestinal flora structure and metabolome indicated that Aerococcus may be a candidate strain for predicting and treating the metabolic pathways of spleen deficiency and related disorders. In summary, it can be revealed that spleen deficiency, which alters metabolic profiles and the intestinal flora, could be alleviated effectively by JF extract.

Chinese Traditional Medicine NiuBeiXiaoHe (NBXH) Extracts Have the Function of Antituberculosis and Immune Recovery in BALB/c Mice

Background

The Traditional Chinese Medicine NiuBeiXiaoHe (NBXH) is a valid antituberculosis (TB) prescription from the experience of clinical practice. However, the mechanism of NBXH extracts' immunotherapy has been poorly understood. Herein, the immunotherapeutic efficacy and the differentially expressed (DE) genes of NBXH extracts were evaluated and identified in BALB/c mice.

Methods

The total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the DE genes were identified by gene chip. The enrichment and signaling pathway analyses were performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG database.

Results

It was shown that the treatment of NBXH extracts (high dose) significantly reduced mycobacteria loads and histopathological lesions in mice infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resulted in 3,454 DE upregulated genes and 3,594 downregulated DE genes. Furthermore, NBXH extracts killed mycobacteria by inhibiting the supply of necessary ingredients for their growth and proliferation. They restored the disordered immune microenvironments by up- or downregulating immune and inflammation-related pathways.

Conclusions

Taken together, NBXH extracts not only efficiently decreased the mycobacteria loads but also balanced the immune disorders in mice. These new findings provide a fresh perspective for elucidating the immunotherapeutic mechanism of NBXH extracts and pointed out the direction for improving the treatment efficacy of NBXH extracts.

Integrative metabolic and microbial profiling on patients with Spleen-yang-deficiency syndrome

Gut microbiota is recognized as an indispensable "metabolic organ" that plays crucial roles in maintaining human health or initiating diseases. Spleen-yang-deficiency syndrome (SYDS) is a common syndrome of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic. It is a complex phenotype reflecting the overall changes of metabolism which are mainly caused by digestive disorders. However, little is known about the changes of gut microbiota and metabolism in patients with SYDS, as well as the crosstalk between gut microbiota and host metabolism. In the current study, an integrative metabolic and microbial profiling was performed on plasma, urine and feces from recruited SYDS and healthy individuals by using a LC-QTOFMS-based metabolomic and 16 s rRNA sequencing approaches. Our results showed a potentially significant contribution of gut dysbiosis to the metabolic disorders in SYDS. By integrating the differential gut bacteria with the metabolites, the results revealed some active bacterium of norank_f_CFT112H7, f_lachnospiraceae and bacteroides were closely involved in host mucosal integrity, bile acid metabolism and polysaccharides decomposition. Therefore, our results indicated the probable involvement of gut microbiota in mediating the metabolic changes, which warrants a further investigation on the role of gut microbiota in modulating the pathogenesis of SYDS.