Bioinformatic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveal Intervention Effects of Chicory in a Quail Model of Hyperuricemia

Abstract

Background. Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a kind of a metabolic disease that seriously threatens human health worldwide. Chicory, a natural herbal medicine, has an obvious effect of reducing uric acid. The aim of this study is to explore the potential components and pharmacological pathways that may play a role in hypouricemia activity of chicory. Bioinformatics and metabonomics were applied to this research. Firstly, component-target network was used to identify possible components related to the pharmacological properties and their corresponding mechanisms pathway of chicory. Afterwards, animal pharmacodynamic experiments were performed. Blood and stool samples were collected for untargeted metabolomic analysis by dint of UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS methods, and principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were performed for the pattern recognition and characteristic metabolites identification. Significant enriched function pathways were used in bioinformatics suggesting that chicory might have the effect of regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes. PLS-DA analysis was applied to discover differentiating metabolites, and pathway enrichment analysis indicated that chicory had powerful effects of glycosylphosphatidylinositol- (GPI-) anchor biosynthesis, inositol phosphate metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Combining bioinformatics and metabolomics results, we consider that chicory may develop on lowering uric acid by adjusting lipid metabolism. In addition, we chose quail as animal model innovatively and discussed the treatment of hyperuricemia with chicory in multiple methods, which may render reference for the research of HUA.

The biomarkers discovery of hyperuricemia and gout: proteomics and metabolomics

“… Chen et al (2021b) presented that Tongfengxiaofang could regulate various disorders of arginine biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and TCA cycle caused by hyperuricemia. The potential molecular mechanisms of anti-hyperuricemia in other herbs, such as QZTBD, EMW, and chicory, have also been reported ( Chen et al, 2016 ; Bian et al, 2018 ; Huang et al, 2019 ). The current research in TCM focuses on animal studies of hyperuricemia and gout, and its overall characteristics are consistent with a comprehensive analysis of metabolomics.…”

How to employ metabolomic analysis to research on functions of prebiotics and probiotics in poultry gut health?

“…The chicory supplementation showed the effect of regulating lipolysis in fat cells. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that chicory had a strong effect on quail’s glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI-) anchoring biosynthesis, inositol phosphate metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis ( Bian et al, 2018 ).…”

Contemporary Insights on Antibacterial and Pharmacological Importance of Cichorium intybus: A Compendious Review

“…As a hepatoprotective agent, it also decreases the threat of liver cirrhosis [6]. Other pharmacological application of chicory includes antihypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic [90,91], anticancer [92], anti-allergic [93], anti-ulcerogenic [94], gastroprotective [95], anti-protozoal [96], and wound healing activities [23]. It has evaluated to be an anti-hyperuricemia agent [97], and also depicted anti-rheumatic effects [98].…”