A HILIC-UHPLC–MS/MS untargeted urinary metabonomics combined with quantitative analysis of five polar biomarkers on osteoporosis rats after oral administration of Gushudan

Curcumin Ameliorated Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis While Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolome

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is the leading cause of secondary osteoporosis. Recently, the "bone-gut axis" theory has linked bone development with gut microbial diversity, community composition, and metabolites. Curcumin, a well-studied polyphenol, shows potential in mitigating bone loss and osteoporosis. Alendronate, a standard therapeutic agent for osteoporosis, serves as a positive control in this investigation. The study demonstrates the potency of curcumin in reducing bone loss and restoring bone mineral density, enhancing trabecular parameters notably through increased trabecular number, volume, and thickness and reduced bone marrow cavity size. Gut microbiome sequencing revealed that both curcumin and alendronate treatments similarly enhanced gut microbial diversity and altered microbiota composition, increasing beneficial bacteria (Akkermansia_muciniphila, Dubosiella_sp910585105, and Ruminococcus_sp910584195) while reducing harmful bacteria (Treponema_D_sp910584475 and Duncaniella_sp910584825). Furthermore, significant changes in serum levels of metabolites including raffinose, ursolic acid, spermidine, inosine, hypoxanthine, thiamine, and pantothenic acid were observed post-treatment with curcumin or alendronate. Importantly, these beneficial metabolites and microorganisms were negatively correlated with inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, curcumin holds promise for use against GIOP by modulating the gut microbiome and serum metabolome as well as reducing systemic inflammation.

Effect of sheep placenta extract on D-galactose-induced aging mouse

Introduction

Sheep placenta extract (SPE) is a representative traditional medicinal substance that exhibits multiple experimentally validated physiological properties, including anti-aging effects, wound healing acceleration, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. However, the mechanism by which SPE influences the delay of aging is still not yet clear.

Methods

Exploring the effects of sheep placenta extract on D-gal induced senescence in a mouse model of aging by macrogenomics and metabolomics.

Results

In the serum of aging mice treated with SPE, the levels of antioxidant function such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) were notably higher compared to those in the blank group, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased. We revealed that SPE alleviated the changes in gut microbiota caused by aging in mice, with a significant decrease in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio in the gut. Furthermore, Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila), which is known for its regulating immune response and potential anti-aging effects, showed a significant increase of 1177.94%. The analysis of UHPLC-QE-MS combined with orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) screening of differential metabolites in mouse serum metabolic profiles revealed a significant upregulation of cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and triptolide in serum metabolites, following SPE treatment, which are commonly believed to have immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-tumor effects.

Discussion

The role of SPE in ameliorating aging may be associated with the increased abundance of A. muciniphila in the gut microbiota and the accumulation of two metabolites, EPA and triptolide, in the serum.

Betaine alleviates spermatogenic cells apoptosis of oligoasthenozoospermia rat model by up-regulating methyltransferases and affecting DNA methylation

BACKGROUND

Oligoasthenozoospermia is the most common type of semen abnormality in male infertile patients. Betaine (BET) has been proved to have pharmacological effects on improving semen quality. BET also belongs to endogenous physiological active substances in the testis. However, the physiological function of BET in rat testis and its pharmacological mechanism against oligoasthenozoospermia remain unclear.

PURPOSE

This research aims to prove the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of BET on oligoasthenozoospermia rat model induced by Tripterygium wilfordii glycosides (TWGs).

METHODS

The oligoasthenozoospermia rat model was established by a continuous gavage of TWGs (60 mg/kg) for 28 days. Negative control group, oligoasthenozoospermia group, positive drug group (levocarnitine, 300 mg/kg), and 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 800 mg/kg BET groups were created for exploring the therapeutic effect of BET on the oligoasthenozoospermia rat model. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by HE and TUNEL staining. Immunofluorescence assay of DNMT3A, PIWIL1, PRMT5, SETDB1, BHMT2, and METTL3, methylation capture sequencing, Pi-RNA sequencing, and molecular docking were used to elucidate potential pharmacological mechanisms.

RESULTS

It is proved that BET can significantly restore testicular pathological damage induced by TWGs, which also can significantly reverse the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells. The spermatogenic cell protein expression levels of DNMT3A, PIWIL1, PRMT5, SETDB1, BHMT2, and METTL3 significantly decreased in oligoasthenozoospermia group. 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg BET groups can significantly increase expression level of the above-mentioned proteins. Methylation capture sequencing showed that BET can significantly increase the 5mC methylation level of Spata, Spag, and Specc spermatogenesis-related genes. Pi-RNA sequencing proved that the above-mentioned genes produce a large number of Pi-RNA under BET intervention. Pi-RNA can form complexes with PIWI proteins to participate in DNA methylation of target genes. Molecular docking indicated that BET may not directly act as substrate for methyltransferase and instead participates in DNA methylation by promoting the methionine cycle and increasing S-adenosylmethionine synthesis.

CONCLUSION

BET has a significant therapeutic effect on oligoasthenozoospermia rat model induced by TWPs. The mechanism mainly involves that BET can increase the methylation level of Spata, Specc, and Spag target genes through the PIWI/Pi-RNA pathway and up-regulation of methyltransferases (including DNA methyltransferases and histone methyltransferases).

In vitro digestion and fermentation combined with microbiomics and metabolomics reveal the mechanism of superfine yak bone powder regulating lipid metabolism by altering human gut microbiota

The effects of superfine yak bone powder (YBP) on human gut microbiota (HGM) were investigated by in vitro digestion and fermentation combined with microbiomics and metabolomics. Results showed that size reduction and protein structural degradation during digestion allowed superfine YBP to release more Ca²⁺ than CaCO₃ powders with similar particle size. Moreover, the indigestible YBP further influenced HGM and was associated with increased occurrence of beneficial bacteria such as Megasphaera spp., Megamonas spp., Acidaminococcus spp., and Prevotella spp. The altered HGM was associated with greater production of short-chain fatty acids with 4-6 carbon atoms. Furthermore, the indigestible YBP was associated with up-regulation of many lipid-related metabolites, including taurine, secondary bile acids, saturated long-chain fatty acids, and ω-3/ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which modulated favorably lipid metabolic pathways. These findings implied the potential activity of superfine YBP as a food fortifier in favorably altering HGM community structure and regulating lipid metabolism.

UPLC/Q-TOF-MS-based Metabolomics Study of the Antiosteoporosis Effects of Vaccarin in Ovariectomized Mice

Osteoporosis is a systemic and metabolic bone disease that usually occurs in postmenopausal women, which mainly manifests as bone loss and increased bone fragility that both facilitate fracture. However, few drugs for osteoporosis have shown good efficacy and limited side effects. Vaccarin has demonstrated its antiosteoporosis effects by inhibiting the formation and osteolytic activities of osteoclasts in our previous investigation. In this study, multivariate statistical analysis and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry were used to analyze the serum metabolites of ovariectomized mice treated with or without vaccarin. As a result, 9 serum metabolites were identified as biomarkers. The metabolic levels of 3 crucial biomarkers, namely, lysophosphatidylcholine [22 : 6, (4Z, 7Z, 10Z, 13Z, 16Z, 19Z)], 1-linoleoylglycerophosphocholine and 1-palmitoyl-Sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, that were correlated with glycerophospholipid metabolism increased and then decreased significantly after vaccarin treatment. Molecular docking analysis and osteoclasts differentiation experiment further revealed that vaccarin may bind with phospholipase A2 and downregulated its activity to reduce the osteoclastogenesis. Therefore, the occurrence of osteoporosis is closely related with glycerophospholipid metabolism disorders, and vaccarin exerts antiosteoporosis effects by reducing the levels of glycerophospholipid metabolites.

LC/MS/MS-Based Liver Metabolomics to Identify Chronic Liver Injury Biomarkers Following Exposure to Arsenic in Rats

Arsenic is a widespread natural metalloid element. Long-term chronic exposure to arsenic can lead to different degrees of liver injury. Although the etiology of this disease is well known, to date, the underlying mechanism of arsenic-induced liver injury remains unclear, and no specific treatment exists because of the complexity of arsenic. In the present study, potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways in the livers of Wistar rats treated with arsenic for 24 weeks were investigated using an integrated metabolic approach with an LC-Orbitrap Q Exactive™ HF-X mass spectrometer. Markedly increased liver levels of arsenic, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bile acid (TBA) were detected in the arsenic treatment groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, histopathological examination of liver tissues showed obviously swollen, loose cytoplasm and increased necrosis in the arsenic treatment groups compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). Metabonomics results showed that 109 metabolites (variable importance in the projection (VIP) > 1; fold change > 2 or < 0.5; P adjusted < 0.05) changed significantly after exposure to arsenic and included 71 upregulated metabolites and 38 downregulated metabolites. Additionally, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that 6 metabolic pathways with statistical significance-phenylalanine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, citrate cycle (TCA cycle), thiamine metabolism, and vitamin B6 metabolism-were selected, and 13 differential metabolites were detected to be involved in regulating these metabolic pathways. The present study could help identify potential biomarkers and their functions, as well as metabolic pathways, likely providing evidence for the early diagnosis, prevention, and mechanistic study of arsenism.

Application of metabolomics in osteoporosis research

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic disease characterized by bone metabolism imbalance and bone microstructure destruction, which causes serious social and economic burden. At present, the diagnosis and treatment of OP mainly rely on imaging combined with drugs. However, the existing pathogenic mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment strategies for OP are not clear and effective enough, and the disease progression that cannot reflect OP further restricts its effective treatment. The application of metabolomics has facilitated the study of OP, further exploring the mechanism and behavior of bone cells, prevention, and treatment of the disease from various metabolic perspectives, finally realizing the possibility of a holistic approach. In this review, we focus on the application of metabolomics in OP research, especially the newer systematic application of metabolomics and treatment with herbal medicine and their extracts. In addition, the prospects of clinical transformation in related fields are also discussed. The aim of this study is to highlight the use of metabolomics in OP research, especially in exploring the pathogenesis of OP and the therapeutic mechanisms of natural herbal medicine, for the benefit of interdisciplinary researchers including clinicians, biologists, and materials engineers.

Untargeted Metabolomics in Forensic Toxicology: A New Approach for the Detection of Fentanyl Intake in Urine Samples

The misuse of fentanyl, and novel synthetic opioids (NSO) in general, has become a public health emergency, especially in the United States. The detection of NSO is often challenged by the limited diagnostic time frame allowed by urine sampling and the wide range of chemically modified analogues, continuously introduced to the recreational drug market. In this study, an untargeted metabolomics approach was developed to obtain a comprehensive "fingerprint" of any anomalous and specific metabolic pattern potentially related to fentanyl exposure. In recent years, in vitro models of drug metabolism have emerged as important tools to overcome the limited access to positive urine samples and uncertainties related to the substances actually taken, the possible combined drug intake, and the ingested dose. In this study, an in vivo experiment was designed by incubating HepG2 cell lines with either fentanyl or common drugs of abuse, creating a cohort of 96 samples. These samples, together with 81 urine samples including negative controls and positive samples obtained from recent users of either fentanyl or "traditional" drugs, were subjected to untargeted analysis using both UHPLC reverse phase and HILIC chromatography combined with QTOF mass spectrometry. Data independent acquisition was performed by SWATH in order to obtain a comprehensive profile of the urinary metabolome. After extensive processing, the resulting datasets were initially subjected to unsupervised exploration by principal component analysis (PCA), yielding clear separation of the fentanyl positive samples with respect to both controls and samples positive to other drugs. The urine datasets were then systematically investigated by supervised classification models based on soft independent modeling by class analogy (SIMCA) algorithms, with the end goal of identifying fentanyl users. A final single-class SIMCA model based on an RP dataset and five PCs yielded 96% sensitivity and 74% specificity. The distinguishable metabolic patterns produced by fentanyl in comparison to other opioids opens up new perspectives in the interpretation of the biological activity of fentanyl.

Salvia miltiorrhiza and the Volatile of Dalbergia odorifera Attenuate Chronic Myocardial Ischemia Injury in a Pig Model: A Metabonomic Approach for the Mechanism Study

Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) coupled with Dalbergia odorifera (DO) has been used to relieve cardiovascular diseases in China for many years. Our previous studies have integrated that SM—the volatile oil of DO (SM-DOO)—has a cardioprotective effect on chronic myocardial ischemia based on a pharmacological method, but the cardioprotective mechanism has not been elucidated completely in the metabonomic method. In the present study, a metabonomic method based on high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was performed to evaluate the effects of SM-DOO on chronic myocardial ischemia induced by an ameroid constrictor, which was placed on the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) of pigs. Pigs were divided into three groups: sham, model, and SM-DOO group. With multivariate analysis, a clear cluster among the different groups was obtained and the potential biomarkers were recognized. These biomarkers were mainly related to energy metabolism, glucose metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, the protein expressions of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) were significantly upregulated by SM-DOO. The result indicated that SM-DOO could regulate the above biomarkers and metabolic pathways, especially energy metabolism and glucose metabolism. By analyzing and verifying the biomarkers and metabolic pathways, further understanding of the cardioprotective effect of SM-DOO with its mechanism was evaluated. Metabonomic is a reliable system biology approach for understanding the cardioprotective effects of SM-DOO on chronic myocardial ischemia and elucidating the mechanism underlying this protective effect.

Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC): Latest Applications in the Pharmaceutical Researches

Background:

Significant advances have been occurred in analytical research since the 1970s by Liquid Chromatography (LC) as the separation method. Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography (RPLC) method, using hydrophobic stationary phases and polar mobile phases, is the most commonly used chromatographic method. However, it is difficult to analyze some polar compounds with this method. Another separation method is the Normal Phase Liquid Chromatography (NPLC), which involves polar stationary phases with organic eluents. NPLC presents low-efficiency separations and asymmetric chromatographic peak shapes when analyzing polar compounds. Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC) is an interesting and promising alternative method for the analysis of polar compounds. HILIC is defined as a separation method that combines stationary phases used in the NPLC method and mobile phases used in the RPLC method. HILIC can be successfully applied to all types of liquid chromatographic separations such as pharmaceutical compounds, small molecules, metabolites, drugs of abuse, carbohydrates, toxins, oligosaccharides, peptides, amino acids and proteins.

Objective:

This paper provides a general overview of the recent application of HILIC in the pharmaceutical research in the different sample matrices such as pharmaceutical dosage form, plasma, serum, environmental samples, animal origin samples, plant origin samples, etc. Also, this review focuses on the most recent and selected papers in the drug research from 2009 to the submission date in 2020, dealing with the analysis of different components using HILIC.

Results and Conclusion:

The literature survey showed that HILIC applications are increasing every year in pharmaceutical research. It was found that HILIC allows simultaneous analysis of many compounds using different detectors.

Metabolomics strategy reveals the osteogenic mechanism of yak (Bos grunniens) bone collagen peptides on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats

Our previous work demonstrated that yak bone collagen peptides (YBP) possessed excellent osteogenic activity in vitro. However, associations between YBP and osteoporosis were less established, and the positive effect and underlying mechanism of YBP in the treatment of osteoporotic rats in vivo remained unclear. Herein, ovariectomized rats were intragastrically administered with YBP or 17β-estradiol for 12 weeks. Bone turnover markers, bone biomechanical parameters and bone microarchitecture were investigated to identify the specific changes of potential antagonistic effects of YBP on ovariectomized rats. Then, serum samples were analyzed by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS to identify metabolites. The results showed that YBP treatment remarkably altered the content of serum bone turnover markers and prevented the ovariectomy-induced deterioration of bone mechanical and microarchitecture characteristics. A total of forty-one biomarkers for which levels changed markedly upon treatment have been identified based on non-targeted metabolomics. Among them, twenty-one metabolites displayed a downward expression level, while twenty metabolites showed an upward expression level in the YBP group and finally were selected as potential biomarkers. The levels of these biomarkers displayed significant alterations and a tendency to be restored to normal values in YBP treated osteoporotic rats. A systematic network analysis of their corresponding pathways delineated that the protective or recovery effect of YBP on osteoporosis occurred primarily by regulating the amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism (especially unsaturated fatty acid). Collectively, these findings highlight that such peptides hold promise in further advancement as a natural alternative for functional and health-promoting foods, which could be potentially used in mediated treatment of osteoporosis.

Integration of organ metabolomics and proteomics in exploring the blood enriching mechanism of Danggui Buxue Decoction in hemorrhagic anemia rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Danggui Buxue Decoction (DBD), as a classical Chinese medicine prescription, is composed of Danggui (DG) and Huangqi (HQ) at a ratio of 1:5, and it has been used clinically in treating anemia for hundreds of years.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study was to explore the treatment mechanisms of DBD in anemia rats from the perspective of thymus and spleen.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, a successful hemorrhagic anemia model was established, and metabolomics (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) and proteomics (label-free approach) together with bioinformatics (Gene Ontology analysis and Reactome pathway enrichment), correlation analysis (pearson correlation matrix) and joint pathway analysis (MetaboAnalyst) were employed to discover the underlying mechanisms of DBD.

RESULTS

DBD had a significant blood enrichment effect on hemorrhagic anemia rats. Metabolomics and proteomics results showed that DBD regulated a total of 10 metabolites (lysophosphatidylcholines, etc.) and 41 proteins (myeloperoxidase, etc.) in thymus, and 9 metabolites (L-methionine, etc.) and 24 proteins (transferrin, etc.) in spleen. With GO analysis and Reactome pathway enrichment, DBD mainly improved anti-oxidative stress ability of thymocyte and accelerated oxidative phosphorylation to provide ATP for splenocyte. Phenotype key indexes were strongly and positively associated with most of the differential proteins and metabolites, especially nucleosides, amino acids, Fabp4, Decr1 and Ndufs3. 14 pathways in thymus and 9 pathways in spleen were obtained through joint pathway analysis, in addition, the most influential pathway in thymus was arachidonic acid metabolism, while in spleen was the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. Furthermore, DBD was validated to up-regulate Mpo, Hbb and Cp levels and down-regulate Ca²⁺ level in thymus, as well as up-regulate Fabp4, Ndufs3, Tf, Decr1 and ATP levels in spleen.

CONCLUSION

DBD might enhance thymus function mainly by reducing excessive lipid metabolism and intracellular Ca²⁺ level, and promote ATP production in spleen to provide energy.

1H-NMR-based urinary metabolomic analysis for the preventive effects of gushudan on glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis rats

Gushudan (GSD), a traditional Chinese medicine with a history of more than 15 years, has been shown to have anti-osteoporosis effects, but the specific therapeutic mechanism behind it is still unclear. To further elucidate the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and the preventive mechanism of GSD on glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) rats, a rapid and comprehensive ¹H NMR metabolomics method was established to detect urinary metabolic profiles in the control group, model group and GSD treatment group in this study. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was performed to investigate changes in the metabolites, and related metabolic pathways were discovered using MetaboAnalyst platform. As a result, a total of 27 differential metabolites were identified. Of these, 17 metabolites such as formate, allantoin and l-threonate were newly discovered as GIOP potential biomarkers. Energy metabolism, intestinal flora metabolism, amino acid metabolism and oxidative stress response were significantly changed in the urinary profiles of GIOP rats, and GSD could play an anti-osteoporosis role by regulating these metabolic pathways. This study compliments the earlier LC-MS based urine metabolomics research, and helps further understand the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and the potential preventive effects of GSD on GIOP rats.

LC-MS/MS analysis of twelve neurotransmitters and amino acids in mouse cerebrospinal fluid

BACKGROUND

So far, analytical investigation of neuroactive molecules in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of rodent models has been limited to rats, given the intrinsic anatomic difficulties related to mice sampling and the corresponding tiny amounts of CSF obtained. This poses a challenge for the research in neuroscience, where many, if not most, animal models for neuronal disorders rely on mice.

NEW METHOD

We introduce a new, sensitive and robust LC-MS/MS method to analyze a panel of twelve neuroactive molecules (NM) from mouse CSF (aspartic acid, serine, glycine, glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid, norepinephrine, epinephrine, acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, histamine and its metabolite 1-metylhistamine). The paper describes the sampling procedure that allows the collection of 1-2 microliters of pure CSF from individual mouse specimens.

RESULTS

To test its applicability, we challenged our method on the field, by sampling 37 individual animals, thus demonstrating its strength and reliability.

COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S)

Compared to other methods, our procedure does not involve any extraction nor derivatization steps: samples are simply diluted and analyzed as such by LC-MS/MS, using a dedicated ion pairing agent in the chromatographic setup. The panel of neuroactive molecules that is analyzed in a single run is also significantly higher compared to other methods.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the number of mouse models used in the neuroscience research, we believe that our work will pave new ways to more advanced research in this field.

The Potential Antipyretic Mechanism of Gardeniae Fructus and Its Heat-Processed Products With Plasma Metabolomics Using Rats With Yeast-Induced Fever

Gardeniae Fructus (GF), prepared GF (GFP), and carbonized GF (GFC) are widely used in China for the treatment of fever. However, the involved antipyretic mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In this study, rectal temperature and pyrogenic cytokines were used to evaluate the antipyretic effect of raw and processed GF in rats with dry-yeast-induced pyrexia. Reverse phase and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry were used to acquire the metabolomics profile of GF, GFP, and GFC in rats with pyrexia. The results showed that the rectal temperature of rats treated with GF, GFP, and GFC was suppressed after 6 h (P < 0.05), compared with that observed in pyrexia model rats. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the expression of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 6 were suppressed by GF, GFP, and GFC. Moreover, GFC suppressed the expression of interleukin 6 significantly (P < 0.01). Of note, 11, 15, and 25 feature metabolites were identified in the GF, GFP, and GFC groups. Pathway analysis showed that GF mainly regulated the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Notably, GFP was involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism, while GFC was linked to glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism. These results suggested that GF, GFP, and GFC maintained their antipyretic effect despite heat processing. However, heat processing altered endogenous feature metabolites and certain pathways of GF, GFP, and GFC in rats with yeast-induced pyrexia to exert an antipyretic effect.

Effects of Platycodins Folium on Depression in Mice Based on a UPLC-Q/TOF-MS Serum Assay and Hippocampus Metabolomics

Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as depression, is a state characterized by low mood and aversion to activity. Platycodins Folium (PF) is the dried leaf of Platycodon grandiflorum, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities. Our previous research suggested that PF was rich in flavonoids, phenols, organic acids, triterpenoid saponins, coumarins and terpenoids. This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant effect of PF using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depressive mice. Several behavior tests (sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST)) and biochemical parameters (IL-6, TNF-α and SOD levels) were used to evaluate the antidepressive effect of PF on LPS-induced depression model. Furthermore, a UPLC-Q/TOF-MS-based metabolomics approach was applied to explore the latent mechanism of PF in attenuating depression. As a result, a total of 21 and 11 metabolites that potentially contribute to MDD progress and PF treatment were identified in serum and hippocampus, respectively. The analysis of metabolic pathways revealed that lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism and inositol phosphate metabolism were disturbed in a model of mice undergoing MDD and PF treatment. These results help us to understand the pathogenesis of depression in depth, and to discover targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment. They also provide the possibility of developing PF into an anti-depressantive agent.

Exploratory Cortex Metabolic Profiling Revealed the Sedative Effect of Amber in Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Epilepsy-Like Mice

Epilepsy is a common clinical syndrome characterized by sudden and recurrent attacks and temporary central nervous system dysfunction caused by excessive discharge of neurons in the brain. Amber, a fossilized organic substance formed by the resins of conifers and leguminous plants, was prescribed to tranquilize the mind in China. In this paper, the antiepileptic effect of amber was evaluated by a pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced epileptic model. An untargeted metabolomics approach was applied to investigate metabolic changes in the epileptic model, which was based on HILIC-UHPLC-MS/MS multivariate statistical analysis and metabolism network analysis. The outcome of this study suggested that 35 endogenous metabolites showed marked perturbations. Moreover, four metabolism pathways were mainly involved in epilepsy. After treatment by amber, the endogenous metabolites had a marked tendency to revert back to the situation of the control group which was consistent with phenobarbital. This study characterized the pentylenetetrazole-induced epileptic model and provided new evidence for the sedative effect of amber.

Development and validation of a hydrophilic interaction ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for rapid simultaneous determination of 19 free amino acids in rat plasma and urine

Determination of amino acids in biofluids is a challenging task because of difficulties deriving from their high polarity and matrix interference. A simple, reliable and high-throughput hydrophilic interaction UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the rapid simultaneous determination of 19 free amino acids in rat plasma and urine samples in this paper. Hydrophilic method with a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH Amide column (100 × 2.1 mm,1.7 μm) was used with a gradient mobile phase system of acetonitrile and water both containing 0.2% formic acid. The analysis was performed on a positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometer via multiple reaction monitoring. Samples of 10 μL plasma and 50 μL urine were spiked with three deuterated internal standards, pretreated with 250 μL acetonitrile for one-step protein precipitation and a final dilution of urine samples. Good linearities (r > 0.99) were obtained for all of the analytes with the lower limit of quantification from 0.1 to 1.2 μg/mL. The relative standard deviation of the intra-day and inter-day precisions were within 15.0% and the accuracy ranged from -12.8 to 12.7%. The hydrophilic interaction UHPLC-MS/MS method was rapid, accurate and high-throughput and exhibited better chromatography behaviors than the regular RPLC methods. It was further successfully applied to detect 19 free amino acids in biological matrix.