Jing Guo1,2, Jiaxiao Wang3, Keiko Iino2, Masaru Tomita1,2,4, Tomoyoshi Soga1,2,4. 1. Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, 246-2 Mizukami, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka 997-0052, Japan. 2. Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa 252-0882, Japan. 3. Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, Emergency General Hospital, 29 Xibahe Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100028, China. 4. Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa 252-0882, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese herbs possess four different medicinal properties: hot, warm, cold, and cool. These serve as a reference guide for these herbal medicines. However, the molecular mechanisms supporting their relevance remain unclear. METHODS: We performed metabolomics based on capillary electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOF/MS) and multivariate data analysis for the structural identification of compounds of cold- and hot-natured Chinese herbs. RESULTS: To this end, 30 selected herbs were analyzed and a total of 416 metabolites were identified via CE-TOF/MS, of which 193 compounds were detected in most herbs. The observed profiles offered the potential to understand the mechanism of association between the compounds and nature of the Chinese herbs. Comparison of the similarity in terms of chemical and molecular structures and content revealed that hot-natured herbs contained more nucleotides. In contrast, principal component analysis revealed the presence of more amino acid compounds in cold-natured herbs. CONCLUSION: Comparing the structural similarities between the samples using the Tanimoto coefficient revealed that a general non-specific structure was observed between cold- and hot-natured herbs; however, the distribution of the molecular groups seemed to contribute more toward the energy properties.
BACKGROUND: Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese herbs possess four different medicinal properties: hot, warm, cold, and cool. These serve as a reference guide for these herbal medicines. However, the molecular mechanisms supporting their relevance remain unclear. METHODS: We performed metabolomics based on capillary electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOF/MS) and multivariate data analysis for the structural identification of compounds of cold- and hot-natured Chinese herbs. RESULTS: To this end, 30 selected herbs were analyzed and a total of 416 metabolites were identified via CE-TOF/MS, of which 193 compounds were detected in most herbs. The observed profiles offered the potential to understand the mechanism of association between the compounds and nature of the Chinese herbs. Comparison of the similarity in terms of chemical and molecular structures and content revealed that hot-natured herbs contained more nucleotides. In contrast, principal component analysis revealed the presence of more amino acid compounds in cold-natured herbs. CONCLUSION: Comparing the structural similarities between the samples using the Tanimoto coefficient revealed that a general non-specific structure was observed between cold- and hot-natured herbs; however, the distribution of the molecular groups seemed to contribute more toward the energy properties.
Authors: A I Saeed; V Sharov; J White; J Li; W Liang; N Bhagabati; J Braisted; M Klapa; T Currier; M Thiagarajan; A Sturn; M Snuffin; A Rezantsev; D Popov; A Ryltsov; E Kostukovich; I Borisovsky; Z Liu; A Vinsavich; V Trush; J Quackenbush Journal: Biotechniques Date: 2003-02 Impact factor: 1.993