The Synergistic Mechanism of Total Saponins and Flavonoids in Notoginseng–Safflower against Myocardial Infarction Using a Comprehensive Metabolomics Strategy

Abstract

Notoginseng and safflower are commonly used traditional Chinese medicines for benefiting qi and activating blood circulation. A previous study by our group showed that the compatibility of the effective components of total saponins of notoginseng (NS) and total flavonoids of safflower (SF), named NS–SF, had a preventive effect on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. However, the therapeutic effect on MI and the synergistic mechanism of NS–SF are still unclear. Therefore, integrated metabolomics, combined with immunohistochemistry and other pharmacological methods, was used to systematically research the therapeutic effect of NS–SF on MI rats and the synergistic mechanism of NS and SF. Compared to NS and SF, the results demonstrated that NS–SF exhibited a significantly better role in ameliorating myocardial damage, apoptosis, easing oxidative stress and anti-inflammation. NS–SF showed a more significant regulatory effect on metabolites involved in sphingolipid metabolism, glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and tricarboxylic acid cycle, such as sphingosine, lysophosphatidylcholine (18:0), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (22:5/0:0), chenodeoxycholic acid, L-valine, glycine, and succinate, than NS or SF alone, indicating that NS and SF produced a synergistic effect on the treatment of MI. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the clinical development of NS–SF.

From multi-omics approaches to personalized medicine in myocardial infarction

“…They hold the potential to guide the development of more effective treatments and provide valuable insights into evaluating the safety and potential side effects of drugs. Fan et al ( 223 ) used metabolomics to reveal the therapeutic potential and synergistic mechanism of total saponins and flavonoids in notoginseng-safflower (NS-SF) in treating MI, emphasizing its superior efficacy compared to individual components and highlighting their combined regulation of key metabolic pathways in MI treatment. This study provides valuable insights for the clinical development of NS-SF as a potential treatment for CVDs.…”

Feasibility study on the use of “Qi-tonifying medicine compound” as an anti-fatigue functional food ingredient based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

“…Throughout the years of application, these TCMs were used as major constituents in pharmaceutical formulations, and are considered safe and effective food additives. Among these TCMs, several classical tonifying medicines, including Eucommia ulmoides Oliver bark (EUOB), Eucommia ulmoides Oliver male flower (EUOF), Panax notoginseng (PN), and Syzygium aromaticum (SA), have attracted our research interests and attention (29)(30)(31)(32). The traditional medicine theory postulates that the herbal combination has better therapeutic efficacies than single herbs by rational design (33)(34)(35).…”