Cantonese herbal tea (CHT) has been consumed in South China to alleviate feelings of discomfort due to the heat and humidity in the body according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To understand the in vivo mechanism of CHT, a ¹H-NMR-based metabonomic approach was used to investigate the global biological characterization of rat serum following the intake of CHT and to understand the mechanisms of action of CHT. Serum samples from rats with consecutive CHT intake after 10, 20 and 30 days and corresponding control rats were analysed by high-resolution ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection on latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were utilized for ¹H-NMR spectra analysis and temporal metabolic changes identification. For the 10-day CHT intake group, no significant metabolic response was detected, whereas the 20-day group showed elevation of glucogeneogenesis and a shift in energy metabolism from carbohydrate metabolism to lipid metabolism. In addition, a notable decrease in pyruvate content with a consistent increase in lactate content, and significant decrease in both lipoprotein and glucose contents was observed for the 30-day group, indicating potential metabolic dysfunction. The metabonomics technique combining metabolic profiles with multivariate analysis enhanced our current understanding of the host's metabolic response to CHT intake.
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.