Integrated Systems Pharmacology, Urinary Metabonomics, and Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis to Uncover Targets and Metabolic Pathways of the You-Gui Pill in Treating Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome

Kidney-yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS) is a metabolic disease caused by a neuro-endocrine disorder. The You-gui pill (YGP) is a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for the treatment of KYDS and has been widely used to warm and recuperate KYDS clinically for hundreds of years in China. However, it is unknown whetherthe corresponding targets and metabolic pathways can also be found via using metabonomics based on one platform (e.g., (1)H NMR) to study different biological samples of KYDS. At the same time, relevant reports on further molecular verification (e.g., RT-qPCR analysis) of these targets associated with biomarkers and metabolic pathways have not yet, to our knowledge, been seen in KYDS’s research. In the present study, a comprehensive strategy integrating systems pharmacology and (1)H NMR-based urinary metabonomics analysis was proposed to identify the target proteins and metabolic pathways that YGP acts on KYDS. Thereafter, further validation of target proteins in kidney tissue was performed through quantitative real-time PCR analysis (RT-qPCR). Furthermore, biochemical parameters and histopathological analysis were studied. As a result, seven target proteins (L-serine dehydratase; phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase; spermidine synthase; tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, glutamine synthetase; 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase; glycine amidinotransferase) in YGP were discovered to play a therapeutic role in KYDS via affecting eight metabolic pathways (glycine, serine and threonine metabolism; butanoate metabolism; TCA cycle, etc.). Importantly, three target proteins (i.e., 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase; glutamine synthetase; and glycine amidinotransferase) and two metabolic pathways (butanoate metabolism and dicarboxylate metabolism) related to KYDS, to our knowledge, had been newly discovered in our study. The mechanism of action mainly involved energy metabolism, oxidative stress, ammonia metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. In short, our study demonstrated that targets and metabolic pathways for the treatment of KYDS by YGP can be effectively found via combining with systems pharmacology and urinary metabonomics. In addition to this, common and specific targets and metabolic pathways of KYDS treated by YGP can be found effectively by integration with the analysis of different biological samples (e.g., serum, urine, feces, and tissue). It is; therefore, important that this laid the foundation for deeper mechanism research and drug-targeted therapy of KYDS in future.