Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of Pteria martensii meat extract (PMME) on aplastic anemia (AA) rats and characterize its components entering the blood. Methods An AA rat model was established by combined administration of cyclophosphamide and acetylphenylhydrazine. After drug intervention, the effects of PMME on peripheral blood cells, bone marrow nucleated cells, bone marrow morphological changes, levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), erythropoietin (EPO) in serum and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in bone marrow suspension of AA rats were investigated. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was employed for the qualitative analysis of PMME, and the differences in components entering the blood between normal rats and AA rats after ig PMME were compared. Results Compared with model group, the numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells and hemoglobin level in peripheral blood of rats in PMME group were significantly increased (P < 0.01), the number of platelets was significantly decreased (P < 0.05, 0.01), the levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ and EPO in serum were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, 0.01), the levels of VEGF-A and VCAM-1 in bone marrow suspension were significantly increased (P < 0.05), the number of nucleated cells in bone marrow significantly was increased (P < 0.05, 0.01), and the degree of bone marrow destruction in rats was significantly reduced. A total of 69 components including amino acids, nucleosides, organic acids, vitamins, purines and sterols were identified from PMME, with the main chemical components being organic acids, amino acids, and nucleosides. Four components, namely valine, eicosaenoic acid, histidine, and arachidonic acid, were identified in the drug containing plasma of normal rats, while seven components, namely phenylalanine, eicosaenoic acid, tyrosine, sebacic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and isoleucine, were identified in the drug containing plasma of AA rats. Conclusion PMME has a significant therapeutic effect on AA rats and can improve various indicators and bone marrow damage in AA rats. The main components of PMME are organic acids, amino acids, and nucleosides, with eicosaenoic acid and histidine entering the bloodstream in the form of prototype components or metabolites, which can serve as the pharmacological substance basis for treating AA rats.

Pteria martensii (Dunker) meat  /  UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS  /  aplastic anaemia  /  molecular docking  /  eicosenoic acid  /  histidine