Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) based metabolomics was applied to characterize the fecal metabolic profiles of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-depression (CUMS-D) and CUMS-resilience (CUMS-R) rats. The fecal biomarkers and metabolic pathways involved in CUMS-D and CUMS-R were screened and identified, revealing the underlying mechanisms of two different responses of the body to the same stresses. Firstly, the classic depression model, i.e. CUMS, was constructed. According to the fecal metabolomics profiles, the model rats were divided into two groups, i.e. the CUMS-D group and the CUMS-R group. And then, the depression statuses of CUMS-D rats and CUMS-R rats were verified by their sucrose preference rates. Lastly, multivariate data analysis was applied to clarify the fecal biomarkers and corresponding metabolic pathways involving in CUMS-D and CUMS-R. The results show that compared with the control rats, the sucrose preference rates of CUMS-D rats were significantly reduced. By contrast, the sucrose preference rates of CUMS-R rats had no significant difference. At the same time, CUMS-D and CUMS-R showed both unique and shared biomarkers and pathways. Three pathways are significantly related to CUMS-D, including taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolism. Glycerolipid metabolism and tryptophan metabolism are specific pathways related to CUMS-R. This study explores the mechanisms of the emergence of susceptible and resilience of rats under the same stimulus from a metabolomics perspective. The current findings provide not only a new perspective for studying depression, and personalized and precision treatments in clinic, but also the research and development of antidepressants.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of isorhyncophylline on hippocampal endogenous metabolites in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by ¹H NMR metabolomics and molecular docking. Twelve SHR were randomly divided into a model group and a treatment group. Six Wistar-Kyoto rats were selected as a control group. The rats in the treatment group were administered isorhyncophylline (0.3 mg·kg^-1) while the rats in the other two groups were treated with the same amount of sterilized saline solution. Animal experiment was authorized by the Ethics Committee of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. SDUTCM20210721002). Hippocampal tissues were removed after administration for 8 weeks and assayed by ¹H NMR based metabolomics technology combined with a pattern recognition method to find characteristic metabolites, and the metabolic targets were retrieved from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database. Molecular docking technology was used to evaluate binding of isorhyncophylline to the core targets. The results of a principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed a clear cluster of samples among three groups. There were seven differentially altered metabolites, and glucose metabolism and glutamate metabolism were the principal related pathways. Molecular docking indicated that isorhyncophylline had good binding properties with nine key candidate target proteins. According to the above research results, isorhyncophylline can influence energy metabolism and glutamate metabolism in the hippocampus.

Probe electrospray ionization (PESI) is one of the typical types of ambient ionization technology, but its application in quantitative analysis is limited due to its poor sampling stability. Previously, we developed a new micro-pen electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (μPen-ESI-MS/MS) method based on PESI. In this study, a μPen-ESI-MS/MS method to measure testosterone and dextromethorphan in liver microsome samples was developed and validated to further applicate in evaluating drug metabolism stability and CYP450 enzyme activity. A μPen-ESI-MS/MS method for detecting the CYP3A4 substrate testosterone and CYP2D6 substrate dextromethorphan in the liver microsome incubation system were developed, and the linearity, precision and accuracy of the method was validated. The validated method was further used to detect the metabolic stability of testosterone in the liver microsome incubation system. The results showed that the μPen-ESI-MS/MS had high efficiency with 0.3 min spraying time of each sample. The standard curve of the testosterone and dextromethorphan has good linearity (R² > 0.99), the intra- and inter-batch accuracy of testosterone and dextromethorphan was 95.9%-109.3% and 90.5%-107.3%, respectively; the intra- and inter-batch precision was acceptable with RSD values of 2.4%-13.5% and 3.4%-12.1%. The half-lives of testosterone and dextromethorphan in the liver microsome incubation system were 12 min and 14 min, respectively. This study provided a rapid and sensitive μPen-ESI-MS/MS method for the assay of testosterone and dextromethorphan in liver microsome samples, and provided a new strategy for the evaluation of drug metabolism stability and CYP3A4/CYP2D6 activity.

Berberine is a naturally occurring benzylisoquinoline alkaloid with a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial, anticancer, hypolipidemic, antidiabetic and antidiarrheal. Although berberine has a wide range of curative effects, the extremely low bioavailability (< 1%) limits its clinical application. Pure berberine preparations have not yet been approved for any specific disease. The low oral bioavailability of berberine is mainly due to poor solubility caused by self-aggregation under acidic conditions, low permeability, P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated efflux, and liver and intestine metabolism. To improve the oral bioavailability of berberine, researchers have adopted a variety of strategies, including the application of various nano-delivery systems, penetration enhancers and P-gp inhibitors, structural modifications, and development of berberine derivatives. Improving the oral bioavailability of berberine can improve the pharmacological activity of berberine, reduce the dosage, and then reduce the toxic and side effects. This review summarized the various pharmacological activities, metabolism progress and pharmacokinetic characteristics of berberine, the newly discovered berberine target intestinal microbiota and focused on the strategies to improve the oral bioavailability of berberine by improving solubility and permeability, inhibiting P-gp efflux, and structural modification. The research on berberine was prospected, which provided guidance for the in-depth study of berberine.

"Omics" and bioinformatics have brought new ideas to the study of traditional Chinese medicine. This study used metabonomics and network pharmacology to investigate the pharmacodynamic basis and regulation of Qishen Yiqi dropping pill (QDP) improving cardiac energy metabolism in rats with heart failure (HF). ¹H NMR metabonomics analysis showed that eight metabolites, including carnitine, glutamine, creatine, proline, homocitrulline, lactic acid, taurine and alanine appeared significant callback after QDP treatment for HF. The results indicate that QDP regulates the metabolism of carbohydrate, lipid, ATP and protein. The animal experiment was conducted in accordance with the regulations of the Ethics Committee for Experimental Animal Management and Animal Welfare of Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. A "drug-component-target-disease" network was established using network pharmacology, and the "component-target" sub-network related to the above energy metabolism processes was extracted by combining metabonomics results. Results revealed 79 chemical compounds and 47 potential targets of QDP involved in the regulation of energy metabolism, and identified key chemical components including ursolic acid, notoginsenoside G, ginsenoside-Rh1, and core targets such as INS, PPARG, and AKT1. The results also demonstrated the complex multi-target and multi-component relationship between QDP and HF from the perspective of energy metabolism. The molecular docking technique verified a strong interaction between some targets and chemical compounds, with affinities less than -5 kcal·mol^-1. The results of this study provide useful information for the clinical application, development, and utilization of QDP.

Drug-induced long QT syndrome (LQTS) has become an important clinical research topic, and the occurrence of acquired long QT syndrome (acLQTS) is mainly caused by drug inhibition of the human ether-α-go-go related gene (hERG) channel. The hERG gene encodes the α subunit of the fast-activating delayed rectifying potassium ion channel (Ikr), which plays an important role in the process of action potential phase 3 repolarization and is also the target of most antiarrhythmic drugs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hydroxyrutaecarpine (HRU) on the hERG channel and to evaluate its cardiotoxicity. The whole cell patch clamp technique was used to detect the effects of HRU on the current and kinetics of the hERG channel, and to confirm the binding site on the hERG channel. PCR was used to determine the effect of HRU on hERG mRNA expression. Western blotting was used to detect the effects of HRU on the expression of hERG protein and transcription factor Sp1. Immunofluorescence was used to confirm the effects of HRU on localization and expression of hERG protein and transcription factor Sp1. Studies have shown that transient HRU can inhibit hERG current and shorten the inactivation time constant. Its binding sites to the hERG channel are F656 and Y652. After incubation for 24 h, HRU can reduce the expression of hERG protein, inhibit the hERG current, reduce the level of hERG mRNA, and reduce the expression of transcription factor Sp1 in the nucleus and hERG protein in the cytoplasm. Immunofluorescence experiments also showed the same results suggesting that the inhibition of Sp1 expression by HRU is the cause of the decreased expression of hERG mRNA. In conclusion, the acute inhibition of HRU accelerates the channel inactivation process and reduces the inactivation time constant by binding to the F656 and Y652 sites in the hERG channel, thus reducing the hERG current. In addition, HRU also inhibits the expression of hERG protein, mainly by inhibiting the expression of transcription factor Sp1, the transcription function of hERG channel protein is down-regulated, so that the hERG protein is reduced.

As one of the most serious hereditary neuromuscular disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by the loss or mutation of survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. It leads to a decrease in the level of SMN protein and a consequent loss of alpha neurons and progressive muscle atrophy resulting in the progressive muscle weakness, the significant disability and the shortened lifespan. Up till now, only three drugs have been approved for SMA, including the gene therapy drug onasemnogene abeparvovec. The antisense oligonucleotide drug nusinersen and and the small molecule chemical drug risdiplam were briefly introduced. Some representative samples of the small molecule chemical drugs and antisense oligonucleotide drugs targeting SMN2 in the clinical trial or preclinical research phases were also reviewed.

The purpose of this study was to systematically analyze the antidepressant mechanism of Chaigui granules from the perspective of biological metabolic network by using integrated metabolomics and biological network analysis tools. The model of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) depression rat was established, and LC-MS-based plasma metabolomics was used to identify the key metabolites and analyze metabolic pathways underlying the antidepressant effects of Chaigui Granules. The key metabolites regulated by Chaigui granules was integrated with biological network analysis tools to further focus on the key metabolic pathways and explore the potential targets of the antidepressant effect of Chaigui granules. The results showed that there were significant differences in the plasma levels of 20 metabolites in the model group compared with the control group (P < 0.05), Chaigui granules significantly regulated 12 metabolites including docosatrienoic acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, chenodeoxycholic acid, cholic acid, L-glutamine, glycocholic acid, linoleyl carnitine, L-tyrosine, N-acetylvaline, palmitoylcarnitine, arachidonic acid. Further network analysis of the key metabolites regulated by Chaigui granules indicated that plasma arachidonic acid metabolism might be the core pathway for the antidepressant effect of Chaigui granules, with 10 proteins were potential targets for the antidepressant effect of Chaigui granules, including CYP2B6, CYP2E1, CYP2C9, CYP2C8, PLA2G6, PTGS2, ALOX15B, PTGS1, ALOX12 and ALOX5. The animal experimental operations involved in this paper was followed the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Shanxi University and passed the animal experimental ethical review (Approval No. SXULL2020028).

Preliminary research in our laboratory found that compound YZG-330 can reduce mouse body temperature, which could be blocked by adenosine A₁ receptor (A₁R) antagonist DPCPX. Based on the downstream signaling pathway of the A₁R, the mechanism by which YZG-330 lowers body temperature was further studied. The pharmacodynamics of YZG-330 was evaluated by measuring the rectal temperature; expression of the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel, the P38 protein and its phosphorylated form in mouse hypothalamic homogenate were detected by Western blotting. A Ca²⁺ fluorescent probe, Fluo-3AM, was added to cells to detect the effect of YZG-330 on the Ca²⁺ content of mouse hypothalamic cells. YZG-330 dose-dependently reduced the body temperature in mice, and the selective P38 inhibitor SB-203580 (20 mg·kg^-1, i.p.) significantly inhibited the hypothermic effect of YZG-330. A TRPM8 antagonist 2 (0.1 μg per mouse, i.c.v.) markedly attenuated the hypothermic effect of YZG-330 (0.25 or 1 mg·kg^-1, i.p.). YZG-330 (2 mg·kg^-1, i.p.) significantly increased the phosphorylation of P38, an effect that could be attenuated by the A₁R antagonist DPCPX (5 mg·kg^-1, i.g.) in mouse hypothalamus. In addition, YZG-330 also prominently enhanced the expression of TRPM8, which could be blocked by SB-203580; YZG-330 (0.1-10 μmol·L^-1) increased intracellular Ca²⁺ concetration in mouse hypothalamic cells in a dose-dependent manner, and was inhibited by the A₁R inhibitor DPCPX (0.5 and 1 μmol·L^-1) and TRPM8 antagonist 2 (1 μmol·L^-1). In conclusion, YZG-330 exerts its hypothermic effect by activating the A₁R to promote the phosphorylation of P38 protein and thereby up-regulating the expression and activity of the TRPM8 ion channel, resulting in increased intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration to stimulate mouse hypothalamus cells to down-regulate body temperature. All animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

We predicted the anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) active components and mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza based on network pharmacology. The active components of S. miltiorrhiza were obtained through TCMSP, PubChem database and literature research. The potential targets of the active components and HBV infection were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction and GeneCards databases, respectively. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by String database. Cytoscape software was adopted to construct a visual network of active component-disease target and perform topological analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID platform. The molecular docking of key components and core targets was carried out by AutoDock Vina software. We screened out a total of 38 active components and 178 disease-component overlapping targets. Enrichment analyses obtained 405 related GO items and 68 signaling pathways, such as T/B cell receptor signaling pathways, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and mTOR signaling pathway. According to the results of molecular docking, most characteristic components of S. miltiorrhiza (miltionone Ⅱ, miltirone, protocatechuic acid, lithospermic acid, protocatechualdehyde) showed good affinity with the key targets (PIK3CA, APP, STAT3, AKT1 and mTOR). Furthermore, the anti-HBV activity of lithospermic acid, the representative active component of S. miltiorrhiza, and its regulation on PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling pathways were investigated in an HBV replicating mouse model. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee of Hubei University. The results showed that lithospermic acid significantly inhibited HBV DNA replication, reduced serum HBsAg and HBeAg levels, and decreased the phosphorylation protein expression levels of AKT and mTOR in liver, indicating that lithospermic acid might exert the anti-HBV activity by regulating PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling pathways.