ABSTRACT
To investigate the effect of Fuzheng Huayu capsule(FHC) on serum metabolomics in rats with liver fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine(DMN). The metabolic profiles of rat serum of normal group, model group, and FHC group were established by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology. Furthermore, the levels of endogenous metabolites such as amino acids and bile acids were measured in each group. The results showed that there were significant differences in the serum metabolic fingerprints between the FHC group and the model group. Moreover, 5 potential lysophosphatidylcholines biomarkers were identified by using principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Quantitative analysis of amino acids and bile acids in serum of rats showed that 14 kinds of amino acids and 5 kinds of bile acids returned to normal levels after four weeks of FHC treatment. In conclusion, the anti-hepatic fibrosis mechanisms of FHC may be related to the metabolic process of lysophosphatidylcholines, amino acids and bile acids.