Metabolomics Study on Liquorice Extract Ameliorating Acute Uranium-Induced Damage in Rats

Licorice (Gancao in Chinese, GC), a traditional antidote with "universal detoxifying" properties, has been reported to promote uranium excretion via glycyrrhizic acid (GL) and demonstrate significant efficacy against acute uranium damage. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. This study employed a metabolomics approach combining respiratory analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to evaluate the reparative effects of licorice extract (LE) on acute uranium injury. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used to determine the content of glycyrrhizic acid in licorice. After 7 days of administration, rat body weight and peripheral blood parameters showed significant recovery. Breath metabolomics identified eight differentially expressed metabolites, whereas serum metabolomics revealed 17 metabolites associated with acute uranium injury. Metabolic pathway analysis indicated that LE primarily exerted its restorative effects through four key pathways in respiratory metabolomics and five key pathways in serum metabolomics. Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism were observed as common metabolic pathways in both exhaled breath and serum metabolomics, showing the strongest association with LE's repair of acute uranium damage. This study demonstrates that LE effectively ameliorates acute uranium damage, and metabolomics serves as a powerful tool for deepening understanding of traditional Chinese medicine's therapeutic effects on acute uranium injury.