Sleep Promotion by 3-Hydroxy-4-Iminobutyric Acid in Walnut Diaphragma juglandis Fructus
Jian Ji,
Yongli Ye,
Lina Sheng,
Jiadi Sun,
Qianqian Hong,
Chang Liu,
Jun Ding,
Shuxiang Geng,
Deping Xu,
Yinzhi Zhang,
Xiulan Sun
Affiliations
Jian Ji
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Yongli Ye
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Lina Sheng
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Jiadi Sun
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Qianqian Hong
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Chang Liu
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Jun Ding
Department of Chemistry,
Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, P.R. China.
Shuxiang Geng
Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, P.R. China.
Deping Xu
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Yinzhi Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Xiulan Sun
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Lihu Avenue 1800, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, P.R. China.
Insufficient sleep can produce a multitude of deleterious repercussions on various domains of human well-being. Concomitantly, the walnut (Juglans mandshurica) confers numerous salutary biological activities pertaining to sleep. Nevertheless, the sedative and hypnotic capacities of walnut’s functional constituents remain obscure. In this investigation, we analyzed the sedative and hypnotic components of the walnut Diaphragma juglandis fructus and innovatively discovered a compound, defined as 3-hydroxy-4-iminobutyric acid (HIBA), which disrupts motor activity and enhances sleep duration by regulating the neurotransmitters (GABA, DA, etc.) within the brain and serum of mice. Subsequently, a metabolomics approach of the serum, basal ganglia, hypothalamus, and hippocampus as well as the gut microbiota was undertaken to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms of sleep promotion. Our data reveal that HIBA can regulate the metabolism of basal ganglia (sphingolipids, acylcarnitines, etc.), possibly in relation to HIBA’s influence on the gut microbiome (Muribaculum, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, etc.). Therefore, we introduce a novel natural product, HIBA, and explicate the modulation of sleep promotion in mice based on the microbiota–gut–brain axis. This study contributes fresh insights toward natural product-based sleep research.