Metabonomic analysis of the anti-inflammatory effects of volatile oils of Angelica sinensis on rat model of acute inflammation.

Metabonomics based on GC-MS was used to study the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms of volatile oils of Angelica sinensis (VOAS) in rats with acute inflammation. Acute inflammation was induced by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan in rats. The levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ), histamine (HIS) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the inflammatory fluid were detected. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis models were performed for pattern recognition analysis. After the administration of VOAS, the levels of PGE2 , HIS, and 5-HT returned to levels observed in normal group. According to GC-MS analysis, the intervention of VOAS in rats with acute inflammation induced substantial and characteristic changes in their metabolic profiles. Fourteen metabolite biomarkers, namely, lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, trans-dehydroandrosterone, aldosterone, linoleic acid, hexadecanoic acid, pregnenolone, octadecenoic acid, myristic acid, l-histidine, octadecanoic acid, arachidonic acid (AA) and l-tryptophan, were detected in the inflammatory fluid. The levels of all biomarkers either increased or decreased significantly in model groups. VOAS possibly intervened in the metabolic process of inflammation by altering histidine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, AA metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism and energy metabolism. Metabonomics was used to reflect an organism's physiological and metabolic state comprehensively, and it is a potentially powerful tool that reveals the anti-acute-inflammatory mechanism of VOAS.