Investigation of the therapeutic effect of Shaoyao Gancao decoction on CCL₄‐induced liver injury in rats by metabolomic analysis

Abstract

Shaoyao Gancao decoction (SGD) is a famous Chinese traditional prescription for treating liver injury. In this research, we investigated the therapeutic effects of SGD on liver injury and its metabolic mechanisms using 1 H NMR and UPLC-MS. Serum biochemical indicators and histopathological methods were used to determine the mechanism of action of SGD in treating liver injury. An orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis method was used to screen potential metabolic markers, and the MetaboAnalyst and KEGG PATHWAY databases were used to find relevant metabolic pathways. A total of 26 significant metabolites were identified with significant changes in their abundance levels, and these metabolites are involved in many metabolic pathways such as amino acid and lipid metabolism. The changes in biomarker levels reveal the therapeutic effect of SGD on liver injury, which is of great significance to speculate on possible metabolic mechanisms.

Investigation of the incompatibility of Knoxiae Radix and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in rats by 1H NMR and MS‐based untargeted metabolomic analysis

“…LPC is derived from fatty acids through phospholipid metabolism, has the function of inducing inflammation and participates in autoimmune regulation (Fuchs, Schiller, Wagner, Häntzschel, & Arnold, 2005;Wang et al, 2016). An increase in LPC was found in rats with carbon tetrachloride-mediated liver injury (Sun et al, 2020). CHDJ might cause inflammation and liver damage in vivo.…”

Combining fecal microbiome and metabolomics to reveal the disturbance of gut microbiota in liver injury and the therapeutic mechanism of shaoyao gancao decoction

“…Con was given the same amount of soybean oil. From the third week, SGDT and PSGDT were given SGD (1.5 g/kg) orally once a day ( Sun et al, 2020b ). At the same time, PLIM and PSGDT were given antibiotics (twice a day for 3 days before administration and once a day after administration).…”

“…Analysis by 1 H NMR was as previously described ( Sun et al, 2020b ). Briefly, spectra were acquired on Bruker AV 600 MHz superconducting Fourier transform NMR spectrometer (Bruker, Germany).…”

“…In addition, we also studied the mechanism of SGD in the treatment of liver injury from the perspective of metabolomics. By 1 H NMR and UPLC-MS, 26 important metabolites were identified, mainly involved in amino acid and lipid metabolism, revealing the metabolic mechanism of SGD in the treatment of liver injury ( Sun et al, 2020b ).…”

Screening of Biomarkers and Quality Control of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction Using UPLC-MS/MS Combined with Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Technology

“…Our previous study found that SGD had an obvious liver-protecting effect [ 15 ]. After 14 days of oral administration of SGD in model group rats, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBIL) were significantly decreased, and the histopathological structure of the liver was significantly improved.…”