Integration of microbiomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics reveals the therapeutic mechanism underlying Fuzheng-Qushi decoction for the treatment of lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Fuzheng-Qushi decoction (FZQS) is a practical Chinese herbal formula for relieving cough and fever. Therefore, the action and specific molecular mechanism of FZQS in the treatment of lung injury with cough and fever as the main symptoms need to be further investigated. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To elucidate the protective effects of FZQS against lung injury in mice and reveal its potential targets and key biological pathways for the treatment of lung injury based on transcriptomics, microbiomics, and untargeted metabolomics analyses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce a mouse model of lung injury, followed by the administration of FZQS. ELISA was used to detect IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-4, IL-10, and TNF-α, in mouse lung tissues. Macrophage polarization and neutrophil activation were measured by flow cytometry. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was applied to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in lung tissues. RT-qPCR and Western blot assays were utilized to validate key DEGs and target proteins in lung tissues. 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to characterize the gut microbiota of mice. Metabolites in the gut were analyzed using untargeted metabolomics. RESULTS: FZQS treatment significantly ameliorated lung histopathological damage, decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. M1 macrophage levels in the peripheral blood decreased, M2 macrophage levels increased, and activated neutrophils were inhibited in mice with LPS-induced lung injury. Importantly, transcriptomic analysis showed that FZQS downregulated macrophage and neutrophil activation and migration and adhesion pathways by reversing 51 DEGs, which was further confirmed by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. In addition, FZQS modulated the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota by reversing the abundance of Corynebacterium, Facklamia, Staphylococcus, Paenalcaligenes, Lachnoclostridium, norank_f_Muribaculaceae, and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae. Meanwhile, metabolomics analysis revealed that FZQS significantly regulated tryptophan metabolism by reducing the levels of 3-Indoleacetonitrile and 5-Hydroxykynurenine. CONCLUSION: FZQS effectively ameliorated LPS-induced lung injury by inhibiting the activation, migration, and adhesion of macrophages and neutrophils and modulating gut microbiota and its metabolites.

[Effects of maltodextrin on water adsorption and thermodynamic properties of Codonopsis Radix spray-dried powder].

This study aims to reveal the effects of maltodextrin(MD) on the water adsorption and thermodynamic properties of Codonopsis Radix(DS) spray-dried powder by determining the moisture and energy changes of the powder in the process of moisture absorption. The static weighing method was used to obtain the isothermal water adsorption data of the spray-dried powder in 6 saturated salt solutions(KAc, MgCl_2·6H_2O, K_2CO_3, NaBr, NaCl, and KCl) at 3 temperatures(25, 35, and 45 ℃). Six models were used for fitting of the water adsorption process, and the most suitable model was selected based on the model performance. Furthermore, the corresponding net equivalent adsorption heat and differential entropy were calculated, and the adsorption entropy change was integrated. The linear relationship between net equivalent adsorption heat and differential entropy was drawn based on the entropy-enthalpy complementarity theory. The results showed that the water adsorption properties of DS and DS-MD spray-dried powder followed the type Ⅲ isotherm and was well fitted by the GAB model. The monolayer water content M_0 decreased with the increase in temperature. At the same temperature, the M_0 of DS spray-dried powder decreased after the addition of MD. The net equivalent adsorption heat and differential entropy of DS and DS-MD spray-dried powder decreased with the increase in water content, which presented a linear relationship. The addition of MD decreased the water activity corresponding to the lowest integral adsorption entropy of the powder, and the system became more stable. The results indicated that the spray-dried powder became more stable after the addition of MD.