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Jin W, Cho S, Laxi N, Bao T, Dai L, Yu H, Qi R, Zhang J, Ba G, Fu M. Hepatoprotective Effects of Ixeris chinensis on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Induced by High-Fat Diet in Mice: An Integrated Gut Microbiota and Metabolomic Analysis. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27103148. [PMID: 35630624 PMCID: PMC9147883 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27103148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Ixeris chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai (IC) is a folk medicinal herb used in Mongolian medical clinics for the treatment of hepatitis and fatty liver diseases even though its pharmacological mechanism has not been well characterized. This study investigated the hepatoprotective mechanism of IC on mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by integrating gut microbiota and metabolomic analysis. A high-fat diet (HFD) was used to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, after which the mice were treated with oral IC (0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 g/kg) for 10 weeks. HFD induced NAFLD and the therapeutic effects were characterized by pathological and histological evaluations, and the serum indicators were analyzed by ELISA. The gut microbial and metabolite profiles were studied by 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomic analysis, respectively. The results showed that the administration of IC resulted in significant decreases in body weight; liver index; serum biomarkers such as ALT, TG, and LDL-C; and the liver inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The 16S rRNA sequencing results showed that administration of IC extract altered both the composition and abundance of the gut microbiota. Untargeted metabolomic analysis of liver samples detected a total of 212 metabolites, of which 128 were differentially expressed between the HFD and IC group. IC was found to significantly alter the levels of metabolites such as L-glutamic acid, pyridoxal, ornithine, L-aspartic acid, D-proline, and N4-acetylaminobutanal, which are involved in the regulation of glutamine and glutamate, Vitamin B6 metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolic pathways. Correlation analysis indicated that the effects of the IC extract on metabolites were associated with alterations in the abundance of Akkermansiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Muribaculaceae. Our study revealed that IC has a potential hepatoprotective effect in NAFLD and that its function might be linked to improvements in the composition of gut microbiota and their metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Jin
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Sungbo Cho
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Namujila Laxi
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Terigele Bao
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Lili Dai
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Hongzhen Yu
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Rigeer Qi
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
| | - Junqing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Tropical Herbs, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China;
| | - Genna Ba
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
- Correspondence: (G.B.); (M.F.)
| | - Minghai Fu
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), School of Mongolian Medicine, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; (W.J.); (S.C.); (N.L.); (T.B.); (L.D.); (H.Y.); (R.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Tropical Herbs, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China;
- Correspondence: (G.B.); (M.F.)
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Chao J, Chen TY, Pao LH, Deng JS, Cheng YC, Su SY, Huang SS. Ethnobotanical Survey on Bitter Tea in Taiwan. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:816029. [PMID: 35250565 PMCID: PMC8894760 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.816029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological evidence: In Taiwan, herbal tea is considered a traditional medicine and has been consumed for hundreds of years. In contrast to regular tea, herbal teas are prepared using plants other than the regular tea plant, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze. Bitter tea (kǔ-chá), a series of herbal teas prepared in response to common diseases in Taiwan, is often made from local Taiwanese plants. However, the raw materials and formulations have been kept secret and verbally passed down by store owners across generations without a fixed recipe, and the constituent plant materials have not been disclosed. Aim of the study: The aim was to determine the herbal composition of bitter tea sold in Taiwan, which can facilitate further studies on pharmacological applications and conserve cultural resources. Materials and methods: Interviews were conducted through a semi-structured questionnaire. The surveyed respondents were traditional sellers of traditional herbal tea. The relevant literature was collated for a systematic analysis of the composition, characteristics, and traditional and modern applications of the plant materials used in bitter tea. We also conducted an association analysis of the composition of Taiwanese bitter tea with green herb tea (qing-cao-cha tea), another commonly consumed herbal tea in Taiwan, as well as herbal teas in neighboring areas outside Taiwan. Results: After visiting a total of 59 stores, we identified 32 bitter tea formulations and 73 plant materials. Asteraceae was the most commonly used family, and most stores used whole plants. According to a network analysis of nine plant materials used in high frequency as drug pairs, Tithonia diversifolia and Ajuga nipponensis were found to be the core plant materials used in Taiwanese bitter tea. Conclusion: Plant materials used in Taiwanese bitter tea were distinct, with multiple therapeutic functions. Further research is required to clarify their efficacy and mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Chao
- Chinese Medicine Research Center, Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, Master Program for Food and Drug Safety, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Yang Chen
- Chinese Medicine Research Center, Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Li-Heng Pao
- Graduate Institute of Health Industry Technology, Research Center for Food and Cosmetic Safety, and Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jeng-Shyan Deng
- Department of Food Nutrition and Health Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Chi Cheng
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Shan-Yu Su
- Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Shan-Yu Su, ; Shyh-Shyun Huang,
| | - Shyh-Shyun Huang
- Department of Food Nutrition and Health Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
- School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Shan-Yu Su, ; Shyh-Shyun Huang,
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