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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drug Metabolism and Transport
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1466114
This article is part of the Research Topic Non-Invasive Methods in Drug Metabolism and Transport: Insights from Biological Samples to Oral Administration View all articles

Metabolomics and network pharmacology reveal partial insights into the hypolipidemic mechanisms of ferulic acid in a dyslipidemia mouse model

Provisionally accepted
Zhihao Zeng Zhihao Zeng 1Guanlin Xiao Guanlin Xiao 2*Yanchang Liu Yanchang Liu 1Minshan Wu Minshan Wu 1Xingqin Wei Xingqin Wei 1Canhui Xie Canhui Xie 1Guangying Wu Guangying Wu 1Dezheng Jia Dezheng Jia 1Yangxue Li Yangxue Li 2Sumei Li Sumei Li 2Xiaoli Bi Xiaoli Bi 2,3*
  • 1 School of the Fifth Clinical Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, guanghzhou, China
  • 3 Fifth Clinical School of Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Hyperlipidemia is a condition characterized by abnormal levels of lipids and lipoproteins in the plasma, posing significant health risks. Ferulic acid (FA) is an organic acid with therapeutic properties for diabetes and hyperlipidemia. This study aimed to utilize metabolomics and network pharmacology to explore biomarkers for FA treatment of hyperlipidemia and elucidate the mechanisms of lipid-lowering-related changes in metabolic pathways. Initially, a hyperlipidemic mouse model induced by triton WR-1339 was established to evaluate the therapeutic effects of FA. Subsequently, serum metabolomics was utilized to identify differential metabolites, and metabolic pathway analysis was performed using MetaboAnalyst 6.0. Thirdly, network pharmacology was employed to identify potential targets of FA for hyperlipidemia. Finally, the compound-target-metabolite (C-T-M) network obtained core targets and validated them with molecular docking. Biochemical analysis and histological examination showed that FA had lipid-lowering effects on hyperlipidemic mice. It identified 31 potential biomarkers for FA against hyperlipidemia by metabolomics involving lipid and amino acid metabolism. Lipid and atherosclerosis signaling pathways were identified as the key signaling pathways of FA against hyperlipidemia by KEGG analysis. Conjoint analysis showed that FA against hyperlipidemia was associated with 18 core targets and six biomarkers. Molecular docking results showed that FA has a high binding affinity to these core targets. Through the synergy of network pharmacology and metabolomics, this study provides insights into how FA regulates endogenous metabolites, underscoring its promise as a treatment for hyperlipidemia.

    Keywords: ferulic acid, Hyperlipidemia, Metabolomics, Network Pharmacology, Conjoint Analysis

    Received: 17 Jul 2024; Accepted: 03 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zeng, Xiao, Liu, Wu, Wei, Xie, Wu, Jia, Li, Li and Bi. 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:
    Guanlin Xiao, Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, guanghzhou, China
    Xiaoli Bi, Fifth Clinical School of Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong Province, China

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