Metabolomics unveils the mechanism of Bufei Huayu decoction in combination with cisplatin against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Yuan Feng; Ying Jiang; Ying Zhou; Zhan-Hua Li; Qi-Qian Yang; Jin-Feng Mo; Yu-Yan Wen; Li-Ping Shen

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19155

Metabolomics unveils the mechanism of Bufei Huayu decoction in combination with cisplatin against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Heliyon. 2023 Aug 17;9(8):e19155. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19155. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Yuan Feng¹, Ying Jiang², Ying Zhou³, Zhan-Hua Li¹, Qi-Qian Yang¹, Jin-Feng Mo¹, Yu-Yan Wen¹, Li-Ping Shen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530011, Guangxi, China.
² Department of Neurology, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530011, Guangxi, China.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530011, Guangxi, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Bufei Huayu Decoction (BFHY) is a clinical prescription with reported efficacy in enhancing the therapeutic outcomes of chemotherapeutic agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the underlying metabolic mechanism of BFHY's action remains unexplored.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the global metabolic effects of cisplatin and cisplatin plus BFHY on NSCLC.

Methods: Three groups (NSCLC, cisplatin, and cisplatin + BFHY) underwent a serum metabolomics procedure based on UHPLC-QE-MS. Then, a pathway analysis was carried out using MetaboAnalyst 3.0 to elucidate the therapeutic action routes of cisplatin and cisplatin plus BFHY in NSCLC.

Results: In the subcutaneous NSCLC model, both cisplatin and cisplatin + BFHY reduced the tumor volume and caused cell death. In comparison to cisplatin alone, cisplatin + BFHY showed a stronger tumor-suppressing impact. Furthermore, the same 16 metabolic signaling pathways were shared by the cisplatin and cisplatin + BFHY treatments. These typical metabolites are mainly involved in amino acid metabolism, lipid mobilization, nucleic acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolites.

Conclusions: Potential biomarkers and metabolic networks of cisplatin and cisplatin + BFHY's anti-tumor actions are revealed in our investigation.

Keywords: Bufei huayu decoction; Metabolic signaling pathways; Metabolomics; Non-small cell lung cancer.