Potential hypoglycemic metabolites of dark tea fermented by Eurotium cristatum were screened and demonstrated using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS combining global metabolomic and spectrum–effect relationship analyses.

Triterpenoid saponins from Kuding tea have demonstrated preventive effects on hyperlipidaemia induced by a high-fat diet.

Alismatis rhizoma (AR) has been used as an herbal medicine in China for over a thousand years. Crude AR, salt-processed AR (SAR), and bran-processed AR (BAR) are recorded in the Pharmacopoeia of the People′s Republic of China. However, the differences of chemical composition between crude AR and its processing products remain limited. In this study, triterpenes were identified from crude AR, SAR, and BAR by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometer (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). Subsequently, the differences of triterpenes between the crude AR and processed ARs were compared via a targeted metabolomics approach. Finally, a total of 114 triterpenes were identified, of which 83, 100, and 103 triterpenes were found in crude AR, SAR, and BAR, respectively. After salt-processing, there were 17 triterpenes newly generated, 7 triterpenes with trends of increasing, and 37 triterpenes decreased. Meanwhile, 56 triterpenes including 21 newly generated and 35 with significant increases were observed in BAR. This study could be benefit to investigate the processing mechanism of AR, as well as support their clinical applications.

Cardiolipins (CLs) are involved in ATP production, mitochondria biogenesis, apoptosis and mitophagy. Their tissue distribution can provide insight into the function of mitochondria and related diseases. However, the reports on tissue distribution of CLs remain limited. In this research, CLs were identified from heart, liver, kidney, spleen, lung, skeletal muscle, and brain using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). Then, the distribution and sex difference of CLs in seven tissues were compared by a targeted lipidomic approach. A total of 88 CLs were identified, of which 58, 51, 57, 58, 50, 61 and 52 CLs were found in heart, liver, kidney, spleen, lung, skeletal muscle, and brain, respectively. Compared with the distribution of CLs in heart, liver, kidney, and skeletal muscle, the CLs in spleen, lung, and brain showed significant differences. Moreover, the results indicated that there were sex differences of CLs in liver and kidney. A total of 16 CLs in liver tissue and 21 CLs in kidney tissue, with significant sex differences, were screened. Our findings in the targeted lipidomic analysis demonstrated that tissue distribution of CLs was essential in the dynamic states and sex differences of CLs, which might provide evidence for the mitochondrial-related mechanism under physiological and pathological conditions.

The decoction of Pheretima aspergillum is used as a traditional medicine for treatment of asthma in China with a long clinical history. The aim of the study was to investigate the anti-asthma activities of an active components group obtained from the decoction of Pheretima aspergillum in histamine and ovalubumin induced asthma guinea pigs. The incubation period of asthma, serum IFN-γ, IL-4 and LTB4 levels were tested and determined. As a result, the significant increase of asthma incubation period, serum IFN-γ level were observed in the asthma guinea pigs treated with the active components group. In addition, the serum IL-4 and LTB4 levels were obviously decreased compared to that of model controls. The chemical constituents of the active components group were identified or characterized using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS/MS). Twenty oligopeptides were first identified or characterized in the active components group from the decoction of Pheretima aspergillum. It is reasonable to assume that the anti-asthma activities of Pheretima aspergillum mainly resulted from these oligopeptides. Also, synergistic effects among their compounds may exist in the anti-asthma activity of Pheretima aspergillum.