Jian-Gan-Xiao-Zhi decoction (JGXZ) has demonstrated beneficial effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanisms by which JGXZ improve NAFLD are still unclear. Methods. In this study, we first used a high-fat diet (HFD) to establish a NAFLD rat model to clarify the therapeutic effect of JGXZ on NAFLD. Secondly, we used network pharmacology to predict the potential targets of JGXZ on NAFLD, and then the key targets obtained from network pharmacology were verified. Finally, we used untargeted metabolomics to study the metabolic regulatory mechanism of JGXZ. Results. JGXZ treatment could decrease body weight and ameliorate dyslipidemia in NAFLD model rats. H&E and oil red O staining indicated that JGXZ reduced steatosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver. In addition, network pharmacology research found that the potential targets of JGXZ on NAFLD pathway were mainly associated with improving oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, lipid metabolism disorders, and insulin resistance. Further experimental verification confirmed that JGXZ could inhibit inflammation and improve oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and lipid metabolism disorders. Serum untargeted metabolomics analyses indicated that the JGXZ in the treatment of NAFLD may work through the linoleic acid metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways. Conclusions. In conclusion, this study found that JGXZ has an ameliorative effect on NAFLD, and JGXZ alleviates the inflammatory response and oxidative stress and lipid metabolism disorders in NAFLD rats. The mechanism of action of JGXZ in the treatment of NAFLD may be related to the regulation of linoleic acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism.
Puerarin is the main active component of flavonoids in Puerariae Lobatae Radix. In this study, agar gel microspheres bonded with β-cyclodextrin (AG-β-CD) were synthesized by using economical agar, and then high-purity puerarin was obtained with AB-8 through high-yield separation. With purity and yield of puerarin, and chromatographic purity of related impurities as indexes, four macroporous resins of different properties, namely ADS-7 (high polarity), ADS-17 (medium polarity), ADS-21 (polarity) and AB-8 (weak polarity), were selected for separation of puerarin and technological optimization. In addition, the AG-β-CD purification process was optimized and verified. The results showed that, AB-8 resins showed the best effect and selected as the pre-treatment resins for crude puerarin, and puerarin with the purity of 87.68% showed a recovery rate of 89.66%. The optimized purification process parameters of AG-β-CD included mobile phase (15% ethanol), loading capacity (the ratio of loading amount to column volume) (1.33 g•L⁻¹), sample concentration (8 g•L⁻¹) and flow rate (1 mL•min⁻¹), puerarin with the purity of 95% showed a recovery rate of more than 97%.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.