Zhang X, Zhang J, Zhou Z, Xiong P, Cheng L, Ma J, Wen Y, Shen T, He X, Wang L, Zhang Y, Xiao C. Integrated network pharmacology, metabolomics, and transcriptomics of
Huanglian-Hongqu herb pair in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
J Ethnopharmacol 2024;
325:117828. [PMID:
38325669 DOI:
10.1016/j.jep.2024.117828]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
The Huanglian-Hongqu herb pair (HH) is a synergistic drug combination used to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeuticeffects of HH requires further elucidation.
AIM OF THE STUDY
The present study explored the potential mechanism of HH in treating NAFLD.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed to identify the drug constituents in HH. A NAFLD rat model was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) and treated with different doses of HH. The functional mechanism of HH in NAFLD rats was predicted using network pharmacology, metabolomics and transcriptomics. Immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and Western blot were performed to validate the key mechanisms.
RESULTS
Pharmacodynamic assessment demonstrated that HH exhibited improvements in lipid deposition and reduced hepatic oxidative stress in NAFLD rats. Hepatic wide-target metabolomics revealed that HH primarily modulated amino acids and their metabolites, fatty acids, organic acids and their derivatives, bile acids, and other liver metabolites. The enriched pathways included metabolic pathways, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and bile secretion. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that HH regulated the key pathways in NAFLD, notably PPAR, AMPK, NF-κB and other signaling pathways. Furthermore, hepatic transcriptomics, based on Illumina RNA-Seq sequencing analyses, suggested that HH improved NAFLD through metabolic pathways, the PPAR signaling pathway, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and fatty acid metabolism. Further mechanistic studies indicated that HH could regulate the genes and proteins associated with the PPAR signaling pathway.
CONCLUSION
Our findings demonstrated that the potential therapeutic benefits of HH in ameliorating NAFLD by targeting the PPAR signaling pathway, thereby facilitating a more extensive use of HH in NAFLD.
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