[Metabolomics study on anti-radiation effect of Yiguan Decoction]

The gas chromatography-mass spectrometer(GC-MS) metabolomics method was used to investigate the anti-radiation effect of Yiguan Decoction water extract on mice and explore its related pathways and mechanisms of action. Healthy SPF male mice from Kunming were randomly assigned to six groups: blank group, model group, positive drug group, and high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose groups of Yiguan Decoction, with ten mice in each group. Mice were prophylactically dosed for six days, and ~(60)Co γ ray with 5 Gy was used to establish a radiation mouse model. Changes in mouse body weight and peripheral blood within 14 days after radiation injury were observed, and exhaled breath from mice on the third day after radiation injury was collected. Mouse serum on the 14th day after radiation injury was collected, and GC-MS technology was applied to analyze the exhaled breath and serum of each group of mice, explore the differential metabolites and changes in content in exhaled breath and serum of mice under the anti-radiation effect of Yiguan Decoction. The metabolomics analysis of exhaled breath suggested that there were 15 differential metabolites in the exhaled breath of mice that were related to radiation injury, including hexane, ethyl acetate, hexanal, acetic acid, ethylbenzene, O-xylene, 1-hexanol, styrene, decane, octanal, mesitylene, D-limonene, acetophenone, nonanal, and naphthalene. The results of serum metabolomics analysis showed that 26 differential metabolites in mouse serum were related to radiation injury, including glycol, lactic acid, L-alanine, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, L-valine, glycerol, serine, and L-threonine. By constructing a metabolic network pathway related to the anti-radiation effect of Yiguan Decoction, three metabolic pathways were found to be associated with the anti-radiation effect of Yiguan Decoction, including linoleic acid metabolism, biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, and phenylalanine metabolism. The results indicated that Yiguan Decoction had a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on radiation injury in mice, and the mechanism of radiation injury was preliminarily explored, laying a foundation for the research on the mechanism of Yiguan Decoction against radiation.