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Meng X, Shi M, Guo G, Xing J, Liu Z, Song F, Liu S. In-depth investigation of the therapeutic effect of Tribulus terrestris L. on type 2 diabetes based on intestinal microbiota and feces metabolomics. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 325:117815. [PMID: 38309487 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The fruit of Tribulus terrestris L. (TT) is extensively documented in the Tibetan medical literature 'Si Bu Yi Dian', has been used to treat diabetes mellitus for more than a thousand years. However, the underlying mechanisms and comprehensive effects of TT on diabetes have yet to be investigated. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of the study was to systemically elucidate the potential mechanisms of TT in treating diabetes mellitus, and further investigate the therapeutic effects of the water extract, small molecular components and saccharides from TT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fecal metabolomics was employed to draw the metabolic profile based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacteria 16S rRNA gene were amplified to explore the structural changes of the intestinal microbiome after TT intervention and to analyze the differential microbiota. The microbial metabolites SCFAs were determined by GC-MS, and the BAs and tryptophan metabolites were quantified by UPLC-TQ-MS. Spearman correlation analysis was carried out to comprehensively investigate the relationship among the endogenous metabolites profile, intestinal microbiota and their metabolites. RESULTS TT exhibited remarkably therapeutic effect on T2DM rats, as evidenced by improved glucolipid metabolism and intestinal barrier integrity, ameliorated inflammation and remission in insulin resistance. A total of 24 endogenous biomarkers were screened through fecal metabolomics studies, which were mainly related to tryptophan metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, bile acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis and arachidonic acid metabolism. Investigations on microbiomics revealed that TT significantly modulated 18 differential bacterial genera and reversed the disordered gut microbial in diabetes rats. Moreover, TT notably altered the content of gut microbiota metabolites, both in serum and fecal samples. Significant correlation among microbial community, metabolites and T2DM-related indicators was revealed. CONCLUSIONS The multiple components of TT regulate the metabolic homeostasis of the organism and the balance of intestinal microbiota and its metabolites, which might mediate the anti-diabetic capacity of TT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.
| | - Minjie Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.
| | - Guangpeng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.
| | - Junpeng Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China.
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China.
| | - Fengrui Song
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.
| | - Shu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, National Center of Mass Spectrometry in Changchun and Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.
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Liu H, Chen Z, Liu M, Li E, Shen J, Wang J, Liu W, Jin X. The Terminalia chebula Retz extract treats hyperuricemic nephropathy by inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB axis. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 322:117678. [PMID: 38159820 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN) is a renal injury caused by hyperuricemia and is the main cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. ShiWeiHeZiSan, which is composed mainly of components of Terminalia chebula Retz. And is recorded in the Four Medical Tantras, is a typical traditional Tibetan medicinal formula for renal diseases. Although T. chebula has been reported to improve renal dysfunction and reduce renal cell apoptosis, the specific mechanism of the nephroprotective effects of T. chebula on HN is still unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY This study was conducted to evaluate the effects and specific mechanism of T. chebula extract on HN through network pharmacology and in vivo and in vitro experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS Potassium oxalate (1.5 g/kg) and adenine (50 mg/kg) were combined for oral administration to establish the HN rat model, and the effects of T. chebula extract on rats in the HN model were evaluated by renal function indices and histopathological examinations. UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS analysis was also conducted to investigate the chemical components of T. chebula extract, and the potential therapeutic targets of T. chebula in HN were predicted by network pharmacology analysis. Moreover, the activation of potential pathways and the expression of related mRNAs and proteins were further observed in HN model rats and uric acid-treated HK-2 cells. RESULTS T. chebula treatment significantly decreased the serum uric acid (SUA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) levels in HN rats and ameliorated renal pathological injury and fibrosis. A total of 25 chemical components in T. chebula extract were identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS analysis, and network pharmacology analysis indicated that the NF-κB pathway was the potential pathway associated with the therapeutic effects of T. chebula extract on HN. RT‒PCR analysis, immunofluorescence staining and ELISA demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4 and MyD88 were significantly decreased in the renal tissue of HN rats after treatment with T. chebula extract at different concentrations, while the phosphorylation of P65 and the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly inhibited. The results of in vitro experiments showed that T. chebula extract significantly decreased the protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, p-IκBα and p-P65 in uric acid-treated HK-2 cells and inhibited the nuclear translocation of p65 in these cells. In addition, the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) and fibrotic genes (α-SMA and fibronectin) was significantly downregulated by T. chebula extract treatment, while E-cadherin expression was significantly upregulated. CONCLUSION T. chebula extract exerts nephroprotective effects on HN, such as anti-inflammatory effects and fibrosis improvement, by regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB axis, which supports the general use of T. chebula in the management of HN and other chronic kidney diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China
| | - Zhiyu Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China
| | - Meng Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China
| | - Ertong Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China
| | - Juan Shen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China
| | - Jie Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China.
| | - Xiaobao Jin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China; School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Guangdong 510006, PR China.
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