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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1481091

Integrated chemical analysis, metabolic profiling, network pharmacology, molecular docking and toxicity prediction to reveal the active ingredients and their safety of raw and prepared rhubarbs in the treatment of gastric ulcers

Provisionally accepted
Chenxi Wang Chenxi Wang 1Xin Zhao Xin Zhao 1Jingjing Jiang Jingjing Jiang 1Mengqi Jia Mengqi Jia 2Wenqing Shi Wenqing Shi 1Zhenghua Wu Zhenghua Wu 2Shiyu Feng Shiyu Feng 3Guorong Fan Guorong Fan 2*Yuefen Lou Yuefen Lou 1,4*
  • 1 Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China
  • 2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
  • 3 Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 4 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Shanghai, China

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

    Background: Rhubarb, containing raw rhubarb (RR) and two processed products (steamed rhubarb, SR; carbonized rhubarb, CR), is commonly used in high-doses for the treatment of peptic ulcer, especially gastric ulcer (GU). However, their active ingredients, therapeutic targets, and potential mechanism remain unclear. Meanwhile, the safety of these active ingredients is also worth studying.Methods: An offline two-dimensional low-pressure liquid chromatography/high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry method was applied to identify the chemical constituents of RR, SR, and CR. Then, the plasma and urine samples of rats after oral administration of RR, SR, and CR were studied for metabolite profiling. Based on the analysis of ingredients in vivo, the key active constituents, core therapeutic targets and key signaling pathways of RR, SR, and CR against GU were screened via network pharmacology and molecular docking. Finally, the efficacy and safety of these key active ingredients were evaluated.Results: Totally, 183, 120 and 115 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized from RR, SR and CR, respectively. Meanwhile, 190, 182 and 180 components were identified after oral administration of RR, SR and CR. By network pharmacology and molecular docking, torachrysone, hydroxyemodin, 6-methylrhein, rhein and emodin anthrone might be the predominant effective constituents in RR, SR, and CR with AKT1 and EGFR being their key targets during the treatment of GU. Moreover, EGFR/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway might play a crucial role in the therapeutic mechanism of GU. In silio ADMET predictions categorized 5 compounds as drugs with good oral bioavailability, but these components may induce liver injury. Conclusions: Overall, our results not only clarified the active substances and molecular mechanism for enhancing our understanding about the traditional efficacy, but also pay attention to the clinical safety issues of raw and prepared rhubarbs.

    Keywords: raw and prepared rhubarbs, chemical analysis in vitro, metabolite profiling in vivo, Network Pharmacology, molecular docking, Toxicity prediction

    Received: 15 Aug 2024; Accepted: 31 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Zhao, Jiang, Jia, Shi, Wu, Feng, Fan and Lou. 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:
    Guorong Fan, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai, 201620, Shanghai, China
    Yuefen Lou, Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.