Purpose: Compound Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl oral liquid (CAROL) is often as a hepatoprotective agent. The present study aimed to elucidate the protective mechanism of CAROL against alcoholic liver injury in rats by untargeted metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis.
Methods: An alcoholic liver disease model was established in sprague-dawley (SD) rats by gavage of alcohol, and CAROL treatment was administered. The hepatoprotective effect of CAROL was evaluated by examining liver tissues changes and detecting biochemical index activities and cytokines in serum and liver homogenates. The metabolites in serum samples were examined using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QTOF/MS) and multivariate statistical analysis to screen for differentially expressed metabolites and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to assess potential metabolic pathways.
Results: CAROL has the potential to downregulate inflammation levels and alleviate oxidative stress. The differential metabolites are mainly engaged in riboflavin metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and vitamin B6 metabolism to achieve hepatoprotective effects.
Conclusion: CAROL may exhibit beneficial hepatoprotective effects by reducing inflammation, mitigating oxidative stress, and modulating metabolites and their metabolic pathways. This study has important implications for advancing the clinical application of CAROL.
Keywords: compound Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl. oral liquid, alcoholic liver injury, untargeted metabolomics, UHPLC–QTOF/MS, metabolic pathway analysis