Preliminary Study of the Distinctive Mechanism of Shenqi Compound in Treating Rats with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by Comparing with Metformin

Abstract

background: In China, The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been employed in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment for centuries and need furher elucidating the mechanisms of action. method: To investigate how the TCM ShenQi (SQC) formulation differs from metformin, four rat groups, including control, model, T2DM rats treated using SQC (SQC group), and T2DM rats treated using metformin (Met group), were constructed. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between SQC and metformin groups were screened, and the co-expression modules of the DEGs were constructed based on the weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) method. The correlation between modules and metabolic pathways was also calculated. The potential gene targets of SQC were obtained via the TCM systems pharmacology analysis. result: A total of 962 DEGs between SQC and Met groups were screened, and these DEGs were significantly enriched in various functions, such as sensory perception of the chemical stimulus, NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) activity, and positive regulation of the fatty acid metabolic process. In addition, seven co-expression modules were constructed after the redundancy-reduced process. Four of these modules involved specific activated or inhibited metabolic pathways. Moreover, 334 effective ingredients of SQC herbs were collected, and four genes (RNASE1 (ribonuclease A family member 1, pancreatic), ADRB1 (adrenoceptor beta 1), PPIF (peptidylprolyl isomerase F), and ALDH1B1 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member B1)) were identified as potential targets of SQC. conclusion: Comparing SQC with metformin to treat T2DM rats revealed several potential gene targets. These genes provide clues for elucidating the therapeutic mechanisms of SQC.

Efficacy and mechanism of Shenqi Compound in inhibiting diabetic vascular calcification

“…Long-term clinical experience in China has illuminated SQC’s potential as a candidate drug for mitigating DVC (Hao et al 2017 ; Wang et al 2018a ). Observations from diverse patient populations have suggested that SQC’s administration is associated with reduced vascular calcification and improved overall vascular health (Yang et al 2023a ; Fu et al 2023 ). However, to translate these observations into robust therapeutic strategies, a deeper exploration of SQC’s specific effects and underlying mechanisms is indispensable.…”