Revealing the Antiepileptic Effect of α-Asaronol on Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Seizure Rats Using NMR-Based Metabolomics.

α-Asaronol from Acorus tatarinowii (known as "Shichangpu" in Traditional Chinese medicine) has been proved to possess more efficient antiepileptic activity and lower toxicity than α-asarone (namely "Xixinnaojiaonang" as an antiepileptic drug in China) in our previous study. However, the molecular mechanism of α-asaronol against epilepsy needs to be known if to become a novel antiepileptic medicine. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics was applied to investigate the metabolic patterns of plasma and the brain tissue extract from pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure rats when treated with α-asaronol or α-asarone. The results showed that α-asaronol can regulate the metabolomic level of epileptic rats to normal to some extent, and four metabolic pathways were associated with the antiepileptic effect of α-asaronol, including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies; glutamine and glutamate metabolism; and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism. It was concluded that α-asaronol plays a vital role in enhancing energy metabolism, regulating the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, and inhibiting cell membrane damage to prevent the occurrence of epilepsy. These findings are of great significance in developing α-asaronol into a promising antiepileptic drug derived from Traditional Chinese medicine.

Antrodin A from Antrodia camphorata modulates the gut microbiome and liver metabolome in mice exposed to acute alcohol intake.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of Antrodin A (AdA) from Antrodia camphorata (A. camphorata) mycelium on alcohol-induced gut microbiota and liver metabolomic disorders. In acute alcoholic liver injury mice, AdA ameliorated alcoholic exposure-induced hepatic lipid deposition (TC and TG), oxidative stress (MDA), inflammation (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17 and IFN-γ), and liver damage via modulating microbiome and metabolomic responses. AdA restored the composition of intestinal flora with an increase in the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Dubosiella and a decrease in Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-001. Besides, AdA favorably regulated alcohol-induced metabolic disorders, including glutathione metabolism (S-(2-hydroxyethyl)glutathione and glutathione oxidized), ascorbate and aldarate metabolism (l-ascorbic acid), and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism (taurine). In conclusion, AdA in A. camphorata is a beneficial active ingredient to treat the microbiomic and metabolic disturbance induced by alcohol intake.