Protective Mechanism of Polygonum perfoliatum L. Extract on Chronic Alcoholic Liver Injury Based on UHPLC-QExactive Plus Mass Spectrometry Lipidomics and MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Exploring the mechanism of Paotianxiong polysaccharide in the treatment of chronic kidney disease combining metabolomics and microbiomics technologies

A close relationship between the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and abnormalities in the gut-kidney axis. Paotianxiong polysaccharides (PTXP) that have demonstrated therapeutic effects on CKD. However, the specific mechanism by which PTXP ameliorates CKD through the gut-kidney axis remains to be explored. In this study, the microbiomes and metabolomics were combined to investigate the impact of PTXP on intestinal flora structure and metabolism, further unveiling the relationship through correlation analysis. The results showed that PTXP intervention significantly modulated renal function abnormalities in CKD rats and significantly modulates gut microbial disorders, evidenced by an increased abundance of Lactobacillus murinus, Bacteroides fragilis, and a decreased abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum. Furthermore, PTXP reversed the changes in intestinal metabolites, such as linoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, induced by CKD and identified unsaturated fatty acid metabolism as a key metabolic pathway. Correlation analyses also revealed associations among gut microorganisms, metabolites, and renal function indexes, confirming that PTXP alleviated CKD through the gut-kidney axis. Moreover, the above conclusions were verified by fecal bacteria transplantation experiments. These findings provide insights into the mechanism of PTXP for the treatment of CKD and provide new targets for the treatment of CKD.

Comprehensive spatial distribution profiling of bioactive emodin in mouse organs using mass spectrometry imaging

Emodin is an important anthraquinone compound with good anti-inflammatory activity in Chinese traditional medicine rhubarb. Detailed spatial distribution information in bio-tissues plays an important role in revealing the pharmacodynamics, toxicology and chemical mechanism of emodin. Herein, the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-TOF-MSI) analytical method was established to obtain information on the spatial and temporal changes of emodin in multiple mouse tissue sections (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain) after intraperitoneal injection of emodin in mice. The measurements were accomplished in the negative ion mode in the range of m/z 250-285 Da with a spatial resolution on 40 µm. It was found that emodin was predominantly distributed in the arteriolar vascular region of the heart, the capsule region of the spleen, and the cortex of the kidney. Moreover, the MALDI-TOF-MSI result implied that emodin might be distributed in the brain. These more detailed spatial distribution information provides the significant reference for investigating the action mechanism of emodin, which cannot be obtained from conventional LC-MS analysis. The distribution trend of emodin in the results of MALDI-TOF-MSI analysis agreed with the ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) results well, demonstrating the complementarity and reliability of the established MALDI-TOF-MSI method. Our work provided a label-free molecular imaging method to investigate the precise spatial distribution of emodin in various organs, which prove great potential in studying the effective substances and mechanism of rhubarb.

Xiaozhi formula attenuates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating lipid metabolism via activation of AMPK and PPAR pathways

BACKGROUND

Xiaozhi formula (XZF) is a practical Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which possesses an authorized patent certificate issued by the State Intellectual Property Office of China (ZL202211392355.0). However, the underlying mechanism by which XZF treats NAFLD remains unclear.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore the main component of XZF and its mechanism of action in NAFLD treatment.

METHODS

UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS was used to identify the components of the XZF. A high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD mouse model was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of XZF. Body weight, liver weight, and white fat weight were recorded to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of XZF. H&E and Oil Red O staining were applied to observe the extent of hepatic steatosis. Liver damage, lipid metabolism, and glucose metabolism were detected by relevant assay kits. Moreover, the intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test and the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test were employed to evaluate the efficacy of XZF in insulin homeostasis. Hepatocyte oxidative damage markers were detected to assess the efficacy of XZF in preventing oxidative stress. Label-free proteomics was used to investigate the underlying mechanism of XZF in NAFLD. RT-qPCR was used to calculate the expression levels of lipid metabolism genes. Western blot analysis was applied to detect the hepatic protein expression of AMPK, p-AMPK, PPARɑ, CPT1, and PPARγ.

RESULTS

120 compounds were preliminarily identified from XZF by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS. XZF could alleviate HFD-induced obesity, white adipocyte size, lipid accumulation, and hepatic steatosis in mice. Additionally, XZF could normalize glucose levels, improve glucolipid metabolism disorders, and prevent oxidative stress damage induced by HFD. Furthermore, the proteomic analysis showed that the major pathways in fatty acid metabolism and the PPAR signaling pathway were significantly impacted by XZF treatment. The expression levels of several lipolytic and β-oxidation genes were up-regulated, while the expression of fatty acid synthesis genes declined in the HFD + XZF group. Mechanically, XZF treatment enhanced the expression of p-AMPK, PPARɑ, and CPT-1 and suppressed the expression of PPARγ in the livers of NAFLD mice, indicating that XZF could activate the AMPK and PPAR pathways to attenuate NALFD progression.

CONCLUSION

XZF could attenuate NAFLD by moderating lipid metabolism by activating AMPK and PPAR signaling pathways.

Study on the action mechanism of the Polygonum perfoliatum L. on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, based on network pharmacology and experimental validation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) holds that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) belong to the category of "thoracic fullness". Polygonum perfoliatum L. (PPL), a Chinese medicinal herb with the effect of treating thoracic fullness, was recorded in the ancient Chinese medicine book "Supplements to Compendium of Materia Medica". It has been used since ancient times to treat NAFLD. However, the underlying mechanism and active components of PPL against NAFLD remains unclear.

AIM OF STUDY

To identify the main active components and the anti-NAFLD mechanism of PPL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Network pharmacology, UPLC/QE-HFX analysis, and molecular docking were employed to determine the main bioactive compounds and key targets of PPL for the NAFLD treatment. This effect was further validated with administration of PPL (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) to NAFLD model mice for 5 weeks. Systemic signs of obesity, biochemical parameters, and histological changes were characterized. Immunohistochemistry, western blot, and PCR analysis were conducted to elucidate the mechanistic pathways through which PPL exerts its effects.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology revealed 77 crossover genes between the PPL and NAFLD. The kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis show that PPL treat NAFLD mainly regulating glucose-lipid metabolism mediated by PI3K/AKT signal pathway. The Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis show that PPL treat NAFLD mainly regulating inflammation mediated by cytokine-mediated signaling pathway. In accordance with the anticipated outcomes, administration of PPL in a dose-dependent manner effectively mitigated insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Histopathological evaluation corroborated the hepatoprotective effects of PPL against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, as evidenced by the inhibition of de novo fatty acid synthesis and promotion of fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO). Further research showed that PPL blocked cytokine production by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, thereby reducing immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, five flavonoids from PPL, including quercetin, baicalein, galangin, apigenin, and genistein were identified as key compounds based on ingredient-target-pathway network analysis. Molecular docking show that these active compounds have favorable binding interactions with AKT1, PIK3R1, and MAPK1, further confirming the impact of PPL on the PI3K/AKT pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Through the combination of network pharmacology prediction and experimental validation, this work determined that therapeutic effect of PPL on NAFLD, and such protective effect is mediated by activating PI3K/AKT-mediated glucolipid metabolism pathway and hepatic NF-κB-mediated cytokine signaling pathway.

Effects of Lead and Cadmium Combined Heavy Metals on Liver Function and Lipid Metabolism in Mice

Although a large number of studies have been conducted on lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) exposure individually, information regarding the toxicity of combined Pb and Cd exposure is relatively limited. The present study aims to investigate the toxicity of Pb-Cd combination exposure and the corresponding mechanism. A heavy metal exposure model was established in mice by subcutaneous intragastric administration of Pb-Cd (50:1) for 35 days. Body weight, diet, hair state, mental state, liver index, haematological index, biochemical indicators and pathological section analysis were used to comprehensively evaluate toxicity. Then, classical oxidative stress indexes and lipidomics techniques were used to explore the potential mechanism. The results showed that Pb-Cd caused the mice to have low appetite, poor spirit, significantly reduced activity, slow weight gain and irritated or drying hair. Pb-Cd also caused liver enlargement, significantly increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzyme activities, and resulted in pathological changes to the liver. Prolonged Pb-Cd exposure led to significantly increased thrombocyte haematocrit (PCT), white blood cell (WBC), platelet (PLT) and monocyte (MON) counts and decreased red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin (HGB), haematocrit (HCT) and lymphocyte (LYM) counts. Pb-Cd increased oxidative stress by increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). Finally, Pb-Cd triggered lipid metabolism disorders by regulating linoleic acid, sphingolipid and glycerolipid metabolism.

Lipidomic investigation of the protective effects of Polygonum perfoliatum against chemical liver injury in mice

OBJECTIVE

Recent investigations have demonstrated that Polygonum perfoliatum L. can protect against chemical liver injury, but the mechanism behind its efficacy is still unclear. Therefore, we studied the pharmacological mechanism at work in P. perfoliatum protection against chemical liver injury.

METHODS

To evaluate the activity of P. perfoliatum against chemical liver injury, levels of alanine transaminase, lactic dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and malondialdehyde were measured, alongside histological assessments of the liver, heart and kidney tissue. A nontargeted lipidomics strategy based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry method was used to obtain the lipid profiles of mice with chemical liver injury and following treatment with P. perfoliatum; these profiles were used to understand the possible mechanisms behind P. perfoliatum's protective activity.

RESULTS

Lipidomic studies indicated that P. perfoliatum protected against chemical liver injury, and the results were consistent between histological and physiological analyses. By comparing the profiles of liver lipids in model and control mice, we found that the levels of 89 lipids were significantly changed. In animals receiving P. perfoliatum treatment, the levels of 8 lipids were significantly improved, relative to the model animals. The results showed that P. perfoliatum extract could effectively reverse the chemical liver injury and significantly improve the abnormal liver lipid metabolism of mice with chemical liver injury, especially glycerophospholipid metabolism.

CONCLUSION

Regulation of enzyme activity related to the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway may be involved in the mechanism of P. perfoliatum's protection against liver injury. Please cite this article as: Peng L, Chen HG, Zhou X. Lipidomic investigation of the protective effects of Polygonum perfoliatum against chemical liver injury in mice. J Integr Med. 2023; Epub ahead of print.