Based on urine metabolomics to study the mechanism of Qi-deficiency affecting type 2 diabetes rats using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Investigating the mechanism of cornel iridoid glycosides on type 2 diabetes mellitus using serum and urine metabolites in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cornel iridoid glycosides (CIG) are extracted from Corni fructus, a herbal medicine used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes. However, the antidiabetic effects of CIG and the underlying metabolic mechanisms require further exploration.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to assess the antidiabetic effects and metabolic mechanism of CIG by performing metabolomic analyses of serum and urine samples of rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was established by administering a low dose of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally after 4 weeks of feeding a high-fat diet. The model was evaluated based on several parameters, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), random blood glucose (RBG), urine volume, liver index, body weight, histopathological sections, and serum biochemical parameters. Subsequently, serum and urine metabolomics were analyzed using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS). Data were analyzed using unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) and supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Differential metabolites were examined by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways to explore the underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS

After 4 weeks of treatment with different doses of CIG, varying degrees of antidiabetic effects were observed, along with reduced liver and pancreatic injury, and improved oxidative stress levels. Compared with the T2DM group, 19 and 23 differential metabolites were detected in the serum and urine of the CIG treatment group, respectively. The key metabolites involved in pathway regulation include taurine, chenodeoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, and L-tyrosine in the serum and glycine, hippuric acid, phenylacetylglycine, citric acid, and D-glucuronic acid in the urine, which are related to lipid, amino acid, energy, and carbohydrate metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed the antidiabetic effects of CIG and revealed that CIG effectively controlled metabolic disorders in T2DM rats. This seems to be meaningful for the clinical application of CIG, and can benefit further studies on CIG mechanism.

UPLC-QTOF-MS based metabolomics unravels the modulatory effect of ginseng water extracts on rats with Qi-deficiency

Ginseng is commonly used as a nutritional supplement and daily wellness product due to its ability to invigorate qi. As a result, individuals with Qi-deficiency often use ginseng as a health supplement. Ginsenosides and polysaccharides are the primary components of ginseng. However, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action of these components in Qi-deficiency remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the modulatory effects and mechanisms of ginseng water extract, ginsenosides, and ginseng polysaccharides in a rat model of Qi-deficiency using metabolomics and network analysis. The rat model of Qi-deficiency was established via swimming fatigue and a restricted diet. Oral administration of different ginseng water extracts for 30 days primarily alleviated oxidative stress and disrupted energy metabolism and immune response dysfunction caused by Qi-deficiency in rats. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was used for untargeted serum metabolomic analysis. Based on the analysis results, the active constituents of ginseng significantly reversed the changes in serum biomarkers related to Qi-deficiency in rats, particularly energy, amino acid, and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, analysis of the metabolite-gene network suggested that the anti-Qi-deficiency effects of the ginseng components were mainly associated with toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and inflammatory response. Additional verification revealed that treatment with the ginseng components effectively reduced the inflammatory response and activation of the myocardial TLR4/NF-κB pathway induced by Qi-deficiency, especially the ginseng water extracts. Therefore, ginseng could be an effective preventive measure against the progression of Qi-deficiency by regulating metabolic and inflammatory responses.

1H NMR metabolomics insights into comparative diabesity in male and female zebrafish and the antidiabetic activity of DL-limonene

Zebrafish have been utilized for many years as a model animal for pharmacological studies on diabetes and obesity. High-fat diet (HFD), streptozotocin and alloxan injection, and glucose immersion have all been used to induce diabetes and obesity in zebrafish. Currently, studies commonly used both male and female zebrafish, which may influence the outcomes since male and female zebrafish are biologically different. This study was designed to investigate the difference between the metabolites of male and female diabetic zebrafish, using limonene - a natural product which has shown several promising results in vitro and in vivo in treating diabetes and obesity-and provide new insights into how endogenous metabolites change following limonene treatment. Using HFD-fed male and female zebrafish, we were able to develop an animal model of T2D and identify several endogenous metabolites that might be used as diagnostic biomarkers for diabetes. The endogenous metabolites in males and females were different, even though both genders had high blood glucose levels and a high BMI. Treatment with limonene prevented high blood glucose levels and improved in diabesity zebrafish by limonene, through reversal of the metabolic changes caused by HFD in both genders. In addition, limonene was able to reverse the elevated expression of AKT during HFD.

Influence of microbial community succession on biodegradation of municipal sludge during biodrying coupled with photocatalysis

A 20-day sludge biodrying process was coupled with photocatalysis to improve biodrying efficiency and investigate the effect of photocatalysis on biodegradation. After biodrying, the moisture content in the coupled photocatalytic group (TCA) and the control group (TUCA) decreased from 63.61% to 50.82% and 52.94%, respectively, and the volatile solids content decreased from 73.18% to 63.42% and 64.39%, respectively. Neutral proteinase activity decreased by 9.38% and 28.69%, and lipase activity decreased by 6.12% and 26.17%, respectively, indicating that photocatalysis helped maintain neutral proteinase and lipase activities. The Chao1 and Shannon indices showed that photocatalysis increased fungal diversity and reduced bacterial richness and diversity. The β diversity clustering analysis indicated that the bacterial community structure during the thermophilic phase in TCA differed from that in TUCA. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotation showed that photocatalysis has the potential to promote the synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies. Biodrying coupled with photocatalysis can improve the dewatering of sludge without negatively affecting biodegradation.

Combining bioinformatics, network pharmacology and artificial intelligence to predict the mechanism of celastrol in the treatment of type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common chronic disease with many serious complications. Celastrol can prevent and treat type 2 diabetes by reversing insulin resistance in a number of ways. However, the specific mechanisms by which celastrol prevents and treats T2D are not well understood. The aim of this study was to explore the key gene targets and potential signaling pathway mechanisms of celastrol for the treatment of T2D.

METHODS

GSE184050 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus online database. Blood samples from patients and healthy individuals with T2D were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed. Key gene analysis of DEGs was performed using the MCODE plugin in Cystoscope as well as the Hubba plugin, and intersections were taken to obtain hub genes, which were displayed using a Venn diagram. Enrichment analysis was then performed via the ClueGo plugin in Cytoscape and validated using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. The therapeutic targets of celastrol were then analyzed by pharmacophore network pharmacology, intersected to identify the therapeutic targets of celastrol, enriched for all targets, and intersected to obtain the signaling pathways for celastrol treatment. The protein structures of the therapeutic targets were predicted using the artificial intelligence AlphaFold2. Finally, molecular docking was used to verify whether celastrol could be successfully docked to the predicted targets.

RESULTS

618 DEGs were obtained, and 9 hub genes for T2D were identified by the MCODE and Hubba plug-ins, including ADAMTS15, ADAMTS7, ADAMTSL1, SEMA5B, ADAMTS8, THBS2, HBB, HBD and HBG2. The DEG-enriched signaling pathways mainly included the ferroptosis and TGF-beta signaling pathways. A total of 228 target genes were annotated by pharmacophore target analysis, and the therapeutic targets were identified, including S100A11, RBP3, HBB, BMP7 and IQUB, and 9 therapeutic signaling pathways were obtained by an intersectional set. The protein structures of the therapeutic targets were successfully predicted by AlphaFold2, and docking was validated using molecular docking.

CONCLUSION

Celastrol may prevent and treat T2D through key target genes, such as HBB, as well as signaling pathways, such as the TGF-beta signaling pathway and type II diabetes mellitus.