Combining 1H-NMR-based metabonomics and network pharmacology to dissect the mechanism of antidepression effect of Milletia speciosa Champ on mouse with chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression

NMR-based metabolomics approach to study the effect and related molecular mechanisms of Saffron essential oil against depression

Depression currently ranks as the fourth leading cause of disability globally, affecting approximately 20% of the world's population. we established a chronic restraint stress (CRS) induced depression model in mice and employed fluoxetine as a reference drug. We assessed the therapeutic potential of saffron essential oil (SEO) and elucidated its underlying mechanisms through behavioral indices and NMR-based metabolomic analysis. The findings indicate that SEO ameliorates behavioral symptoms of depression, such as the number of entries into the central area, fecal count, latency to immobility, and duration of immobility in both the Tail Suspension Test (TST) and the Forced Swim Test (FST), along with correcting the dysregulation of 5-serotonin. Metabolomic investigations identified sixteen potential biomarkers across the liver, spleen, and kidneys. SEO notably modulated nine of these biomarkers: dimethylglycine, glycerol, adenosine, β-glucose, α-glucose, uridine, mannose, sarcosine, and aspartate, with glycerol emerging as a common biomarker in both the liver and spleen. Pathway analysis suggests that these biomarkers participate in glycolysis, glycine serine threonine metabolism, and energy metabolism, potentially implicating a role in neural regulation. In summary, SEO effectively mitigates depressive-like behaviors in CRS mice, predominantly via modulation of glycolysis, amino acid metabolism, and energy metabolism, and potentially exerts antidepressant effects through neural regulation. Our study offers insights into small molecule metabolite alterations in CRS mice through a metabolomics lens, providing evidence for the antidepressant potential of plant essential oils and contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine in treating depression.

Effect of aqueous extract of Millettia speciosa Champ on intestinal health maintenance and immune enhancement of Cyprinus carpio

Millettia speciosa Champ (MSP) is a natural Chinese herb that improves gastrointestinal health and enhances animal immunity. An 8-week feeding trial with different MSP levels (0, 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg) was conducted to evaluate the promotive effects of MSP in Cyprinus carpio. Results indicate that MSP improved intestinal immunity to some extent evidenced by the immuno-antioxidant parameters and the 16S rRNA in the Illumina MiSeq platform. With the analysis of transcriptome sequencing, 4685 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 2149 up-regulated and 2536 down-regulated. According to the GO and KEGG enrichments, DEGs were mainly involved in the immune system. Transcriptional expression of the NOD-like signaling pathway and key genes retrieved from the transcriptome database confirmed that innate immunity was improved in response to dietary MSP administration. Therefore, MSP could be used as a feed supplement that enhances immunity. This may provide insight into Chinese herb additive application in aquaculture production.

Combination of metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis to decipher the mechanisms of total flavonoids of Litchi seed against prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES

To explore the underlying mechanism of total flavonoids of Litchi seed (TFLS) in treating prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODS

Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), EdU incorporation assay, trypan blue dye assay and colony formation assay were employed to evaluate the effect of TFLS on PCa in vitro. The xenograft mouse model was established to explore the anti-tumour effect of TFLS in vivo. Alterations in the metabolic profiles of the PC3 cells and mouse serum were obtained by untargeted metabolomics. Combination with metabolomics analysis and network pharmacology strategies, the potential targets were predicted and further validated by RT-qPCR.

KEY FINDINGS

TFLS attenuated PCa progression both in vitro and in vivo. Metabolomics results yielded from cells and serum indicated that the anti-cancer effect of TFLS was correlated with synergistic modulation of five common metabolic pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism and steroid biosynthesis. Using in silico prediction and RT-qPCR analysis, we further revealed that TFLS exerted anti-PCa activities via regulating the expressions of nine genes, including MAOA, ACHE, ALDH2, AMD1, ARG1, PLA2G10, PLA2G1B, FDFT1 and SQLE.

CONCLUSIONS

TFLS suppressed tumour proliferation in PCa, which may be associated with regulating lipid and amino acid metabolisms.

Urinary metabonomics study of anti-depressive mechanisms of Millettia speciosa Champ on rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression

As a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Millettia speciosa Champ (MSC), exerts a wide range of pharmacological activities. Our research group previously found that MSC has antidepressant effects, but the specific antidepressant mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, urine metabolomics based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) combined with pharmacodynamics was used to explore the pathogenesis of depression and the antidepressant effects of MSC. The results showed that MSC treatment could significantly improve chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression. Urine metabolic showed that the profiles of the CUMS model group were significantly separated from the control group, while the drug-treated groups were closer to the control group, especially the MSC group treated with a 14 g/kg dose of MSC. Furthermore, 9 metabolites, including glutaric acid, L-isoleucine, L-Dopa, sebacic acid, 3-methylhistidine, allantoin, caprylic acid, tryptophol, and 2-phenylethanol glucuronide, were identified as potential biomarkers of depression. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that these potential biomarkers were mainly involved in valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation, tyrosine metabolism, histidine metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and pentose and glucuronate interconversions. Through Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and Pearson correlation analysis, the combination of L-isoleucine, sebacic acid, and allantoin, were further screened out as potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers associated with the efficacy of MSC. This study suggests that the integration of metabolomics with pharmacodynamics helps to further understand the pathogenesis of depression and provides novel insight into the efficacy of TCM.