Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences (Jan 2021)
Potential mechanism of Huatan Qushi decoction on improving phlegm-dampness constitution using microRNA array and RT-qPCR targeting on hsa-miR-1237–3p
Abstract
Background: Metabolic diseases pose considerable burden on the healthcare system worldwide, indicating the significance of prevention and treatment. In constitution theory of traditional Chinese medicine, phlegm-dampness constitution (PDC) is the common basis of metabolic diseases. In clinical practice, Huatan Qushi (HTQS) decoction targeting on PDC can effectively improve metabolic indicators. However, its underlying biochemical mechanism still remains unclear. Methods: Eight PDC participants received HTQS decoction for three months. Their blood was collected at baseline and 1 and 3 months after intervention started. Related biomedical indicators were detected. High-throughput sequencing and RT-qPCR were used for validation. Due to the missing data, repeated measures with missing values in mixed models were used. Results: After 3-month treatment, HDL-C level increased (P < .001) and FBG, FINS, and HbA1c all showed decreasing trend at different time points (all P < .05). After miRNA high-throughput sequencing, compared with the baseline, differential miRNAs at 1 and 3 months were screened, and target gene prediction and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed. The results displayed that metabolic disease-related pathways mainly included pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, etc. Further, RT-qPCR showed that hsa-miR-1237–3p differed statistically (P = .008). Then we validated the target genes of hsa-miR-1237–3p in the “Pathways in Cancer” pathway including SDF1, AC, CRK, and HGF, also known as upstream target genes of PI3K/AKT pathway. The results showed that two indicators of CRK and HGF were in statistical significance (P = .045 and P = .036, respectively). Conclusion: PDC serves as a common basis for various metabolic diseases. Through adjusting PDC, HTQS decoction can improve biomedical indicators including blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin, and HDL-C. The target pathway is “Pathways in cancer”. Specifically, HTQS decoction acts on targets of CRK and HGF by regulating hsa-miR-1237–3p, and probably exerts effects on their downstream PI3K/AKT pathway.
