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
Affiliations
Mingzhen Qin
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Lu Chen
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Xiaoli Hou
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Wuwei Wu
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Yu Liu
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Yu Pan
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Mengli Zhang
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Zhien Tan
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
Danna Huang
National Engineering Research Center of Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 189 Changgang Road, Nanning 530023, China
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.
