Metabolic regulation mechanism of Aconiti Radix Cocta extract in rats based on (1)H-NMR metabonomics

OBJECTIVE: To establish a metabonomics research technique based on the combination of (1)H-NMR and multivariate statistical analysis, so as to explore the metabolic regulation mechanism of Aconiti Radix Cocta extract (ARCE) in rat tissues and serum. METHODS: SD rats were randomly divided into blank group, female group and male group. The (1)H-NMR technique was used to collect the information of rat tissues and serum samples in each group. The principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and other methods were used for data pattern recognition, so as to screen out potential differential metabolites and metabolic pathways, and then network analysis and KEGG database were used to analyze the relationship between metabolites, metabolic pathways and diseases. RESULTS: The external features and (1)H-NMR analysis showed that the sex of rats had no obvious effect on the drug action. A total of 15 potential differential metabolites and six metabolic pathways were screened out through data pattern recognition. Through network analysis and KEGG pathway analysis, three target diseases closely related to differential metabolites were found, and the metabolic pathway related to lung cancer was the central carbon metabolism of cancer. CONCLUSION: This study shows that Aconiti Radix Cocta (ARC) may regulate the energy metabolism of the body by influencing arginine synthesis, so as to play the roles of anti-inflammation, analgesia, anti-tumor and immune regulation.