ABSTRACT
Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) is a Chinese classical formula to treat spleen qi deficiency syndrome (SQDS) and has been widely used for thousands of years. However, the quality control (QC) standards of SJZD are insufficient. Chinmedomics has been designed to discover and verify bioactive compounds of a variety of formula rapidly. In this study, we used Chinmedomics to evaluate the SJZD's efficacy against SQDS to discover the potential quality-markers (q-markers) for QC. A total of 56 compounds in SJZD were characterized in vitro, and 23 compounds were discovered in vivo. A total of 58 biomarkers were related to SQDS, and SJZD can adjust a large proportion of marker metabolites to normal level and then regulate the metabolic profile to the health status. A total of 10 constituents were absorbed as effective ingredients that were associated with overall efficacy. We preliminarily determined malonyl-ginsenoside Rb2 and ginsenoside Ro as the q-markers of ginseng; dehydrotumulosic acid and dihydroxy lanostene-triene-21-acid as the q-markers of poria; glycyrrhizic acid, isoglabrolide, and glycyrrhetnic acid as the q-markers of licorice; and 2-atractylenolide as the q-marker of macrocephala. According to the discovery of the SJZD q-markers, we can establish the quality standard that is related to efficacy.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Through metabonomics research methods,the effect of Siwutang on metabolites and metabolic pathways in natural aging mice were observed.The related targets and mechanism of Siwutang intervention in natural aging mice were analyzed. Method: Taking 20-month-old natural aging model mice(equivalent to 60-65 years old of human beings) as the experimental subjects,at the same time,mice aged 3 months were established as the youth group.UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technique was employed to analyze the mouse plasma with mobile phase of acetonitrile(containing 0.1%formic acid)-0.1%formic acid solution for gradient elution and positive ion mode of electrospray ionization,and the metabolic markers were analyzed by principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA),and their metabolic pathways were summarized. Result: Siwutang had obvious reversal effect on the expression levels of 16 aging-related metabolites,among which 9 metabolic markers were statistically significant(PConclusion: Siwutang can affect the metabolites in the plasma of 20-month-old natural aging mice,and the metabolic disorder during the aging process of mice can be improved by glutathione metabolism,pyrimidine metabolism,selenium amino acid metabolism and other pathways,and this paper can provide biological information for the study of material basis of this compound for aging.
ABSTRACT
The quality of Chinese materia medica (CMM) has become an important factor affecting the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese medicine. However, due to the complexity of CMM ingredients and the specificity of prescription application, the current quality standards of CMM are difficult to guarantee clinical efficacy. Academician Changxiao Liu proposed the concept of the quality marker (Q-marker) of CMM and its basic attributes, which provided a direction for the study of CMM quality standards. Chinmedomics, integrating serum pharmacochemistry and metabolomics technology, under the conditions of correspondence of prescription-syndrome with therapeutic effect, can be used to find the Q-markers of CMM which are related to the clinical efficacy, and reflect the compatibility of prescriptions, and trace the in vivo metabolism and preparation process. The research strategy based on Chinmedomics is an effective method for discovering the Q-markers of CMM, it has been applied to discovery Q-markers of Yinchenhao Decoction, Liuwei Dihuang Pill, NanShi Capsule, AS1350, and other CMM formula as well as the health products.
ABSTRACT
Chinmedomics is a newly emerging discipline in recent years,integrating the theory and technology of system biology and serum pharmacochemistry of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).It has formed and established the evaluation system for identifying the syndrome biomarkers and evaluating the effectiveness of prescriptions,and discovering the efficacy substances.The theory and method of chinmedomics is beneficial to establishing a Chinese-style precision medicine,and also helping further enhance the original innovation ability of TCM research and development.
ABSTRACT
Elucidation of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is of importance for scientists of modern medicine to understand the value of TCM clinical experience, and it is necessary to have a biological language to scientifically describe the efficacy of TCM. With this background?Chinmedomics has been proposed by our team, which includes integrating serum pharmacochemistry and metabolomics technology, defining theory and research methods for expressing the efficacy of TCMs based on the biomarkers discovery of TCM syndrome and elucidating the efficacy of TCM formulae, discovering effective constituents, and finally elucidating the scientific value of TCM. In the present study, the innovative chinmedomics strategy was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of ShenQiWan (SQW) acting on ShenYangXu (kidney-yang deficiency syndrome, KYDS). We analyzed the urine metabolic trajectory between the model and control groups, and identified the biomarkers by the multivariate analysis. We found that SQW caused significant restoration of abnormal metabolism of KYDs. Using the method of metabolomics, 17 potential urine biomarkers were analyzed through 4 repeated tests in our serial studies on SQW and KYDS. Under the premise of therapeutic efficacy, a total of 56 peaks were tentatively characterized in vivo by the use of serum pharmacochemistry. Correlation analysis between marker metabolites and in vivo constituents of SQW showed that 28 compositions had a close relationship with urine biomarkers of therapeutic effects, whichmight play a key role in the therapeutic effect of SQW. These compounds were imported into an online database to predict their targets. Twenty-three important potential targets were identified, which were related to the metabolism of steroid hormone, tryptophan utilization, and thyroid hormone. In conclusion, chinmedomics is a useful strategy for discovery of potentially effective constituents from complex TCM formulae.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Male , Biomarkers , Urine , Disease Models, Animal , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Kidney , Kidney Diseases , Drug Therapy , Urine , Metabolomics , Methods , Yang Deficiency , Drug Therapy , UrineABSTRACT
The scientific interpretation of the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a communication channel between Chinese medicine and modern medicine. The evaluation of TCM efficacy is an important prerequisite for discovering active constituents. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a biological language for scientific explanation of the effectiveness of TCM, and modern scientists can further accept the significant value of TCM theory and its clinical practice. The syndrome and corresponding formulation are two important parts in TCM, and they are directly related to the effectiveness of TCM. Our team has taken syndrome and formulation as the research objects, integrated serum pharm-chemistry of TCM with metabolomics technology, developed a new platform termed Chinmedomics, which is capable of evaluating effectiveness of TCM and discovering the syndrome biomarkers as well as the effective substances. The correlation between the endogenous biomarkers of syndrome and exogenous constituents of formulation is analyzed to find the highly associated compounds as the effective substances, and further clarifying their activities, and may discover lead compounds. This effective strategy could speed the drug discovery from natural resources. This article systematically introduced the establishment and application of Chinmedomics theory, in order to provide references for studies on TCM, and some characteristic examples are presented to highlight the application of this new strategy for discovering the potential active constituents of TCM.
ABSTRACT
The chinmedomics method was used to explore the effect of Nanshi capsule on endogenous metabolites of rats with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome, investigate the metabolites and metabolic pathways closely related to kidney-yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS)and identify the therapeutic basis of Nanshi capsule(NPC)as well as its action mechanism for KYDS. The routine biochemical indexes of serum were detected and histomorphology was observed. Based on the chinmedomics technology platform, discriminatory analysis in multivariate modes was conducted for rat blood and urine, thus to investigate the biomarkers of KYDS and the therapeutic effect of NPC against KYDS. Meanwhile, the main constituents of NPC in rat serum were also detected to analyze its correlation between the constituents in vivo and the biomarkers of KYDS, and determine the potential effective compounds for therapeutic effect. Eleven biomarkers of KYDS were identified in the rat models, involving steroid hormone biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism and tyrosine metabolism. It was found that NPC could regulate steroid hormone biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism and tyrosine metabolism; PCMS analysis showed that caffeic acid, 2-hydroxy-1-methoxy-anthraquinone, 1-hydroxy-2-methoxyanthraquinone, ferulic acid glucuronide conjugation, deacetylasperulosidic acid, cynaroside, betaine and umbelliferone were the main effective compounds of NPC for KYDS. In this study, cynaroside, betaine, umbelliferone and other compounds in NPC could integrally regulate the disturbance of metabolic profile in KYDS by improving the hormone synthesis, hormone synthesis pathway, hormone synthesis and release pathway in tyrosine metabolism and linoleic acid synthesis pathway in linoleic acid metabolism. These results indicated that the NPC had the characteristics of multi-pathway, multi-target and overall regulation in the treatment of KYDS. Chinmedomics approach can provide methodology support to discover innovative drug from traditional Chinese medicine.
ABSTRACT
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to prevent disease for thousands of years. However, the actual value of TCM has not been recognized adequately due to the lack of scientific approaches to its study . Fortunately, metabolomics becomes practically available and consists with the holistic thinking of TCM. The metabolomics can serve as a new strategy for evaluating the efficacy of TCM . This review summarized applications of metabolomics in special TCM field with an emphasis on biomarker discovery.