Metabolites (Sep 2024)

Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–High-Definition Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics to Reveal the Potential Anti-Arthritic Effects of <i>Illicium verum</i> in Cultured Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes Derived from Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Mingzhen Qin,
  • Lu Chen,
  • Xiaoli Hou,
  • Wuwei Wu,
  • Yu Liu,
  • Yu Pan,
  • Mengli Zhang,
  • Zhien Tan,
  • Danna Huang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14100517
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 10
p. 517

Abstract

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. The fruits of Illicium verum, which is a medicinal and edible resource, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Methods: In this study, we investigated the effects of I. verum extracts (IVEs) on human RA fibroblasts-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) by using a sensitive and selective ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with high-definition mass spectrometry (UPLC-HDMS) method. We subsequently analyzed the metabolites produced after the incubation of cultured RA-FLS with IVEs. Results: IVEs inhibited the proliferation and suppressed the migration of RA-FLS, and reduced the levels of inflammatory factors including TNF-α and IL-6. Twenty differential metabolites responsible for the effects of IVEs were screened and annotated based on the UPLC-HDMS data by using a cell metabolomics approach. Discussion: Our findings suggest that treating RA-FLS with IVEs can regulate lipid and amino acid metabolism, indicating that this extract has the potential to modify the metabolic pathways that cause inflammation in RA. Conclusions: This might lead to novel therapeutic strategies for managing patients with RA.

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