Metabolomics study on reduction of hepatotoxic of Tripterygium wilfordii processed by liquorice based on LC-MS / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To observe the effect of Tripterygium wilfordii processed by liquorice on the metabolites in the serum of mice, and to explore its possible metabolic pathways to reduce hepatotoxicity. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control (Con) group, raw T. wilfordii (Raw) group, and T. wilfordii processed by liquorice (Pro) group. Liver histopathological sections and biochemical indexes of liver function and inflammatory factors were detected. LC-MS technology combined with metabolomics methods were used to characterize the differences in metabolism between each group. Results: Compared with Raw group, the liver injury of mice in Pro group was significantly improved, the levels of biochemical indicators and inflammatory factors were significantly decreased, which indicated that TwHF could reduce the hepatotoxicity of mice after processing by liquorice. Twelve potential biomarkers including hexadecanoic acid, phosphatidic acid, glyceride, lecithin and cholic acid were screened, mainly involved nine metabolic pathways including biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, glycerophospholipid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, etc. Conclusion: TwHF processed by liquorice could reduce the hepatotoxicity of mice and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of fatty acid metabolism, which provides a reference for clinical rational application.