Purpose: Yuquan capsule (YQC) is a well-known proprietary Chinese medicine used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential mechanism and efficacy of YQC in the treatment of T2DM by means of metabolomics. Methods: Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups of control, type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM), metformin (Met), and YQC. Establishment of the T2DM model by high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and weight were measured weekly, urine output was collected and recorded. The blood, kidney, pancreas, and liver tissue samples were collected at the end of the experiment. Blood samples were analyzed with methods of ELISA, pancreas, and liver tissues were analyzed by pathological sections, and serum was analyzed by metabolomics using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS). Results: It was observed that YQC could reduce blood glucose levels by modulating blood lipid and transaminase indices, and by diminishing the concentration of inflammatory factors within hepatic and pancreatic tissues. Furthermore, YQC restores homeostasis by regulating lipid and amino acid metabolism, engaging 21 biomarkers and 10 metabolic pathways. Conclusion: YQC has the capacity to enhance blood lipid and transaminase levels, suppress the expression of inflammatory factors, and foster the homeostatic progression of metabolic circulation in rats with T2DM.

The roots of Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin (TKS) are well-known and valued for their rubber-producing ability. Therefore, research on the analysis and detection of metabolites from the roots of TKS have been reported in previous studies. However, all of these studies have the shortcoming of focusing on only the rubber of TKS, without profiling the other metabolites in a systematic and comprehensive way. Here, the primary and secondary metabolites from the leaves of TKS were investigated using UPLC–ESI–MS/MS, and a total of 229 metabolites were characterized. Carboxylic acid derivatives, fatty acyls, phenols, and organooxygen compounds were found to be the major metabolites of TKS. The transcriptome data indicated that ribosomal, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and linoleic acid metabolism genes were significantly differentially expressed. This study is the first to report the differences in the metabolic and transcriptome profiles of TKS leaves under exogenous ethephon spray, which improves our understanding of the main metabolites and their molecular mechanisms in TKS leaves.