Systemic metabolomics characterization of the ascending and descending property

Abstract Background According to the theory of TCM, ascending medicine has the effects of elevating yang, raising drooping, and inducing sweating. Descending medicine has the effects of relieving dyspnea and hiccup, stopping reflux, and calming nerves. In conclusion, the ascending/descending properties of TCM serve as a guide for the use of TCMs in clinical practice. However, at present, there are few studies on the ascending/descending properties of TCM. This study aimed to compare the effects of 6 ascending and 8 descending medicine on the main organs (heart, liver, lung, spleen, and kidney) of normal rats, characterizing the ascending and descending properties. Methods The orgain samples of all experiment group were analyzed based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOFMS). Then, to character the ascending and descending properties, the effects of 6 ascending and 8 descending medicine on the main organs (heart, liver, lung, spleen, and kidney) of normal rats were compared. Results The systemic metabolomics results indicated that linoleic acid metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism were the major differential pathways affected by ascending/descending medicine in the heart; nicotinic acid and nicotinamide metabolism, glutamic acid and glutathione metabolism, and L-carnitine metabolism were the major differential pathways affected by ascending/descending medicine in the liver; tryptophan metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and pyroglutamic acid and glutamic acid metabolism were the major differential pathways affected by ascending/descending medicine in the lung; tryptophan metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and glutamic acid metabolism were the major differential pathways affected by ascending/descending medicine in the kidney; and glutamic acid and glutamine metabolism were the major differential pathway affected by ascending/descending medicine in the spleen. Conclusions Ascending medicine exhibited positive effects on nerve stimulation, immunity, and reproductive function by promoting energy metabolism in the heart and liver, whereas descending medicine had the opposite effect. Descending medicine exhibited a positive effect on diuresis by promoting blood circulation, whereas ascending medicine had the opposite effect. Both descending medicine and ascending medicine intervened with pulmonary inflammation, but the underlying mechanisms may be different. This study demonstrated that systemic metabolomics technology can be used for the characterization of traditional Chinese medicine properties.