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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1382760
LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics and proteomics reveal the intervention of Kangnian Decoction on the postoperative intestinal adhesion of rats
Provisionally accepted- 1 Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
- 2 Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
Background: Postoperative Intestinal Adhesions (PIAs) remain a significant complication of abdominal surgery that can cause pain, infertility, and a potentially lethal bowel obstruction. Kangnian (KN) decoction, a Traditional Chinese Medicine prescription, has been shown to be effective in treating PIAs. Nevertheless, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Objective: This study aims to explore the therapeutic effects of KN decoction in a PIA rat model, as well as its potential mechanisms via metabolomics and proteomics analyses. Materials and methods: 60 rats were randomly assigned to six groups: Normal Control (NC), PIA model, Dexamethasone, KN-Low, KN-Medium, and KN-High. The PIA model was created by abdominal surgery under anesthesia. Pathological damage was evaluated through H&E staining and adhesion grading of affected tissues. The levels of serum cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-1), Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF), and Motilin (MTL) in adherent intestinal tissues were detected using ELISA kits. Untargeted metabolomics was used to investigate potential metabolic pathways of the KN decoction intervention in intestinal adhesions and to screen for differential biomarkers. The label-free quantitative proteomics technique was employed to detect Differentially Expressed Proteins and for biological function and pathway enrichment analyses. Results: In PIA rats, KN decoction significantly improved the pathological injury associated with intestinal adhesions and effectively regulated the blood inflammation indicators. Furthermore, KN presented a favorable anti-fibrotic and protective effect against abdominal adhesions, effectively modifying gastrointestinal motility disorders in PIA rats. We identified 58 variables as potential biomarkers and discovered seven main pathological pathways that may be associated with PIAs. Proteomics analysis revealed 75 DEPs that were primarily involved in Valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation, the MAPK signaling pathway, and retrograde endocannabinoid signaling. Conclusion: This study proved that KN reduces intestinal mucosal injury, downregulates inflammatory factors, and alleviates intestinal adhesions, thus protecting the intestinal barrier function in PIA rats. The combination of proteomics and metabolomics provided a feasible approach for unraveling the therapeutic mechanism of KN decoction in PIAs.
Keywords: Postoperative intestinal adhesion, Kangnian Decoction, Metabolomics, Proteomic analysis, MAPK signaling pathway
Received: 13 Mar 2024; Accepted: 03 Sep 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Jin, Zhao, Qian, Pan, Chen, Feng, Liu and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yuan Zhao, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, Shanghai Municipality, China
Jingwen Feng, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, Shanghai Municipality, China
Xinhua Liu, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, Shanghai Municipality, China
Xiaotong Lu, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai Municipality, China
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