title: ¹H NMR-based metabonomic analysis of the effect of optimized rhubarb aglycone on the plasma and urine metabolic fingerprints of focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ischemia cerebrovascular disease is one of leading causes of death and long-term disability in modern society. Rhubarb is one of the common traditional Chinese medicine with many effects, and the main pharmacodynamic ingredients are aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion. The five components are also known as rhubarb aglycone. Rhubarb aglycone has been confirmed to play a remarkable curative effect on cerebral ischemia, but the mechanism is not clear. In this study, (1)H NMR-based metabonomics approach has been used to investigate the protective effect of the optimized rhubarb aglycone on rats of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: sham operation group, model group, Nimodipine group and the optimized rhubarb aglycone group. Based on (1)H-NMR spectra of plasma and urine, principal component analyses were performed to identify different metabolic markers and explore the changes of associated biochemical pathways. Behavior research and brain histopathology examinations were also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was showed that the optimized rhubarb aglycone treatment improved neurological deficits, cerebral infarction and neuronal apoptosis. Principal component analysis scores plots demonstrated that the cluster of model rats was separated from those of sham operation group; rats of the optimized rhubarb aglycone group were classified from model group, but the optimized rhubarb aglycone group closed to the sham operation group. Optimized rhubarb aglycone regulated the associated amino acid, energy and lipid metabolisms disturbed in model rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggested that the optimized rhubarb aglycone had protective effect on rats of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and explored the metabolic regulation mechanism. This work showed that the NMR-based metabonomics approach might be a promising approach to study mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
authors.forename: Qinxiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
authors.forename: Shengwang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhanhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Courses, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China. Electronic address: sheepma@163.com.
authors.forename: Yongxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China. Electronic address: shmwang@sina.com.
authors.forename: Shumei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000880:Anthraquinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D055432:Metabolomics; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D012250:Rheum
chemical_list: D000880:Anthraquinones
keywords: (1)H NMR; Cerebral ischemic reperfusion; Metabonomics; Principal component analysis; Rhubarb aglycone