Integrating serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology, and metabolomics to elucidate the detoxification and effect-adjusting mechanism of Chebulae Fructus-processing on Mongolian medicine Euphorbia pekinensis

IF 4.8 2区医学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL

Journal of ethnopharmacology Pub Date : 2025-03-05 DOI:10.1016/j.jep.2025.119582

Bingbing Liu , Min Zeng , Wenqingqing Kang , Shu Li , Xinzhi Wang , Hongli Yu , Hao Wu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Euphorbia pekinensis Radix (EP) is a traditional medicinal plant widely used in Mongolian and Chinese medicine for its potent therapeutic properties in treating edema, ascites, and various inflammatory conditions. However, EP has toxicity, which can cause swelling and congestion of the gastrointestinal mucosa. Chebulae Fructus is a unique processing method in Mongolian medicine that is believed to mitigate EP's toxicity and adjust its effect, though the mechanisms underlying this detoxification remain poorly understood.

Aim of the study

This study employed an integrative approach combining network pharmacology, serum pharmacochemistry, pharmacology, and metabolomics to investigate the intestinal detoxification and synergistic effects of Chebulae Fructus-processed Euphorbia pekinensis (PEP).

Materials and methods

The blood-absorbed components of EP and PEP were identified by UPLC-MS/MS. To evaluate holistic effect of the two medicine, network pharmacology was applied to focus on serum components and identify the key compounds and targets mediating effect in addressing five TCM syndromes, as well as modern medicine symptoms including seven types of cancer and myocardial infarction. In terms of detoxification, non-targeted metabolomics was utilized to analyze significant intestinal metabolites and pathways affected by EP and PEP in normal mice.

Results

A total of 77 and 109 blood-absorbed components were identified from EP and PEP, respectively, including terpenoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins. In network pharmacology analysis, key hub genes were identified as therapeutic targets, with PEP exhibiting possibly enhanced effects than EP since it was associated with more targets and diseases in the network. Furthermore, PEP modulated histamine metabolism and arginine biosynthesis pathways, thereby reducing intestinal inflammation.

Conclusion

This study highlights the different anti-cancer and ascites-reducing potential of EP and PEP, emphasizing the detoxification benefits of Chebulae Fructus processing. These findings provide a foundation for the safe and effective therapeutic use of PEP for treating ascites and cancer, while minimizing intestinal toxicity, thereby promoting the safe utilization of medicinal Euphorbiaceae plants.

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来源期刊

Journal of ethnopharmacology 医学-全科医学与补充医学

CiteScore

10.30

自引率

5.60%

发文量

967

审稿时长

77 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Ethnopharmacology is dedicated to the exchange of information and understandings about people''s use of plants, fungi, animals, microorganisms and minerals and their biological and pharmacological effects based on the principles established through international conventions. Early people confronted with illness and disease, discovered a wealth of useful therapeutic agents in the plant and animal kingdoms. The empirical knowledge of these medicinal substances and their toxic potential was passed on by oral tradition and sometimes recorded in herbals and other texts on materia medica. Many valuable drugs of today (e.g., atropine, ephedrine, tubocurarine, digoxin, reserpine) came into use through the study of indigenous remedies. Chemists continue to use plant-derived drugs (e.g., morphine, taxol, physostigmine, quinidine, emetine) as prototypes in their attempts to develop more effective and less toxic medicinals.