Comparative Investigation of Raw and Processed Radix Polygoni Multiflori on the Treatment of Vascular Dementia by Liquid Chromatograph−Mass Spectrometry Based Metabolomic Approach

Abstract

Radix Polygoni Multiflori (PM) is a well−known nootropic used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Considering the efficacy and application discrepancy between raw (RPM) and processed PM (PPM), the similarities and differences between them in the treatment of vascular dementia (VaD) is intriguing. In this study, a VaD rat model was constructed by 2−vessel occlusion (2−VO). During 28 days of treatment, plasma was collected on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 after the start of dosing and the metabolic profile was analyzed by HPLC−MS/MS−based metabolomics.The Morris Water Maze Test, hematoxylin–eosin and Nissl staining, and biochemical analysis were used to assess cognitive function, pathogenic alterations and oxidative stress, respectively. RPM and PPM effectivelyreducedthe 2VO−induced cognitive impairment and mitigated histological alterations in hippocampus tissue. The 2−VO model significantly elevated MDA level and decreased SOD activity and GSH level, indicating severe oxidative stress, which could also be attenuated by RPM and PPM treatment. RPM outperformed PPM in decreasing MDA levels while PPM outperformed RPM in increasing GSH levels. Differential metabolites were subjected to Metabolite Set Enrichment Analysis (MSEA) and genes corresponding to proteins having interactions with metabolites were further annotated with Gene Ontology (GO). Both RPM and PPM ameliorated VaD−relevant vitamin B6 metabolism, pentose phosphate pathways, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. In addition, the metabolism of cysteine and methionine was regulated only by RPM, and riboflavin metabolism was modulated only by PPM. The results suggested that raw and processed PM had comparable efficacy in the treatment of VaD but also with some mechanistic differenece.

Is the Novel Slot Blot a Useful Method for Quantification of Intracellular Advanced Glycation End-Products?

“…Immunostaining of cells in vitro [15,24] and tissues in vivo [56][57][58][59][60] is a beneficial visualization technique. In particular, the immunostaining of tissues can provide various types of information.…”

“…In particular, the immunostaining of tissues can provide various types of information. Researchers can perform staining with some methods simultaneously (e.g., hematoxylin and eosin [56,58], DAPI reagent [56,57], oil red O [23,59,60], Sirius red [23], anti-interleukin antibody [29], and anti-AGEs antibody [5][6][7]23]) (Figure 5). Therefore, the accumulation of AGEs and conditions (e.g., steatosis and fibrosis) in tissues can be simultaneously analyzed.…”

Prepared radix polygoni multiflori and emodin alleviate lipid droplet accumulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through MAPK signaling pathway inhibition

“…According to the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia , raw RPM has the effects of detoxifying, eliminating carbuncles, intercepting malaria, moistening intestines and relieving defecation, while PRPM has the effects of tonifying the liver, kidney, essence and blood, blacking hair, strengthening muscles and bones, resolving turbidity and regulating lipids. Studies have shown that the main chemical components of raw RPM and PRPM change little, but the content of chemical components varies greatly, which is the main reason for their different efficacies and indications [ 14 ]. After processing, compared with raw RPM, the content of stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones in PRPM decreased greatly, but the ratio of anthraquinones to total compounds increased, and most of the bound anthraquinones were converted to free anthraquinones after processing, such as emodin and physcione.…”