title: Metabolomics profiling to investigate the pharmacologic mechanisms of berberine for the treatment of high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
abstract: Objective. Berberine has been used to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which has been addressed in many studies. In this study, we investigated the molecular pharmacology mechanisms of berberine using metabolomic techniques. Methods. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups (10 rats in each group): (i) normal control group; (ii) high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced NASH model group; and (iii) HFD berberine-treated group (i.d. 200 mg/kg). The handling procedure lasted eight weeks. Then, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS techniques coupled with histopathology and biochemical analyses were adopted to explore the mechanisms of berberine on the protective effects against NASH. Key Findings. (i) According to conventional test results, berberine treatment plays a fighting role in HFD-induced NASH due to its beneficial effects against insulin resistance, inflammation, and lipid metabolism. (ii) Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS techniques, metabolic profiles that involved sphingomyelin (SM), phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC), 13-hydroperoxy-9, 11-octadecadienoic acid (13-HpODE), eicosatrienoic acid, docosatrienoic acid, and eicosenoic acid could provide potential metabolic biomarkers to address the pharmacological mechanisms of berberine. Conclusions. The parts of molecular pharmacological mechanisms of berberine for NASH treatment are related to the regulation of metabolic disruption involving phospholipid and unsaturated fatty acids in rats with NASH.
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Zezhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center of Scientific Experiment, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Mingxing
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1344-2775
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Kejia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Research of Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Research of Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China ; School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Aiping
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Center of Scientific Experiment, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao