Liu CJ, Li HX, Zhang YM, Shi W, Zhang FX. Dissection of the antitumor mechanism of tetrandrine based on metabolite profiling and network pharmacology.
RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2024;
38:e9662. [PMID:
38073199 DOI:
10.1002/rcm.9662]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE
Tetrandrine, the Q-marker in Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix, was proven to present an obvious antitumor effect. Until now, the metabolism and antitumor mechanism of tetrandrine have not been fully elucidated.
METHODS
The metabolites of tetrandrine in rats were profiled using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The potential antitumor mechanism of tetrandrine in vivo was predicted using network pharmacology.
RESULTS
A total of 30 metabolites were characterized in rats after ingestion of tetrandrine (10 mg/kg), including 0 in plasma, 7 in urine, 11 in feces, 9 in liver, 8 in spleen, 4 in lung, 5 in kidney, 5 in heart, and 4 in brain. This study was the first to show the metabolic processes demethylation, hydroxylation, and carbonylation in tetrandrine. The pharmacology network results showed that tetrandrine and its metabolites could regulate AKT1, TNF, MMP9, MMP2, PAK1, and so on by involving in proteoglycan tumor pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, tumor pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and Rap1 signaling pathway.
CONCLUSIONS
The metabolism features of tetrandrine and its potential antitumor mechanism were summarized, providing data for further pharmacological validation.
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