Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Assessing the influence of herbal processing methods and improved effects on functional dyspepsia

Song-Hong Yang; Jing Zhu; Wen-Ting Wu; Jun-Mao Li; Heng-Li Tong; Yi Huang; Qian-Feng Gong; Fei-Peng Gong; Ling-Yun Zhong

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1236656

Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Assessing the influence of herbal processing methods and improved effects on functional dyspepsia

Front Pharmacol. 2023 Aug 4:14:1236656. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1236656. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Song-Hong Yang¹, Jing Zhu¹, Wen-Ting Wu¹, Jun-Mao Li¹, Heng-Li Tong¹, Yi Huang¹, Qian-Feng Gong¹, Fei-Peng Gong^{1

2}, Ling-Yun Zhong¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China.
² Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, China.

Abstract

Background: The unique pharmaceutical methods for the processing of botanical drugs according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) affect clinical syndrome differentiation and treatment. The objective of this study was to comprehensively elucidate the principles and mechanisms of an herbal processing method by investigating the alterations in the metabolites of Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (AMR) processed by Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AFI) decoction and to determine how these changes enhance the efficacy of aqueous extracts in treating functional dyspepsia (FD). Methods: A qualitative analysis of AMR before and after processing was conducted using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and HPLC was employed for quantitative analysis. A predictive analysis was then conducted using a network analysis strategy to establish a botanical drug-metabolite-target-disease (BMTD) network and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and the predictions were validated using an FD rat model. Results: A total of 127 metabolites were identified in the processed AMR (PAMR), and substantial changes were observed in 8 metabolites of PAMR after processing, as revealed by the quantitative analysis. The enhanced aqueous extracts of processed AMR (PAMR) demonstrate improved efficacy in treating FD, which indicates that this processing method enhances the anti-inflammatory properties and promotes gastric motility by modulating DRD2, SCF, and c-kit. However, this enhancement comes at the cost of attenuating the regulation of motilin (MTL), gastrin (GAS), acetylcholine (Ach), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE). Conclusion: Through this series of investigations, we aimed to unravel the factors influencing the efficacy of this herbal formulation in improving FD in clinical settings.

Keywords: Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae; ethnopharmacology; functional dyspepsia; herbal processing method; network analysis.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos 81860703 and 82060716); Double Thousand Talents Program of Jiangxi Province [Jiangxi Province Talents Office Document (2019) No. 9]; Traditional Chinese Medicine Processing Techniques Inheritance and Innovation Team (No. CXTD22003); Key Laboratory for Key Technologies in Traditional Chinese Medicine Processing (Braising Method) [Jiangxi Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Scientific and Educational Letter (2022) No. 8], Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Nos 20224ACB206048 and 20224BAB206107), “Double Thousand Talent” Science and Technology Innovation Youth High-level Talent Project in Jiangxi Province (No. S2021GDQN2519); and Youth Talent Training Project for Academic and Technical Leaders in Key Disciplines in Jiangxi Province (No. 20212BCJ23019).