ABSTRACT
To investigate the effects of two different ginger juices on the medicinal properties of Coptidis Rhizoma(CR) by using UPLC-MS-TOF. The rats were fed with decoction of raw CR (RCR), CR processed with ginger juice from fresh ginger(CRGJFG), CR processed with ginger juice from Zinger (CRGJZ), ginger juice from fresh ginger (GJFG) and ginger juice from Zinger (GJZ), and then their urine was collected at different time points for metabolomics analysis. PeakviewTM 1.7 software was applied to analyze the total ion current under positive ion mode; MarkerviewTM 2.0 software was applied for principal component analysis (PCA). The possible biomarkers were screened and their content changes were described according to the searching results in Scifinder and Chemspider databases and related literature reports. The results showed that CR processed with different ginger juice would produce different effects on energy metabolism. Nine possible biomarkers relating to medicinal properties were found as sarcosine, hippuric acid, creatinine, kynurenine, tyrosine, L-tryptophan, nicotinic acid, arachidonic acid and L-proline. L-tryptophan, kynurenine and nicotinic acid were involved in the metabolism of tryptophan; sarcosine, creatinine, L-proline and tyrosine were involved in arginine and proline metabolism; the content of arachidonic acid in urine, precursor of leukotrienes B4, from high to low were CRGJZ, CRGJFG and RCR. The contents of all biomarkers in GJZ group were higher than those in GJFG group, indicating the cold nature of CR was gradually decreased in the following order： RCR, CRGJZ and CRGJFG, and resulting in different anti-inflammatory effects of samples. The results were in consistent with the conclusion that GJFG had hot nature and GJZ had warm nature. The study provided the scientific basis for proper use of different ginger juice as processing assistants.